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Thomas Zwirecki and Blake Herman celebrate at home plate in a conference game vs. Sacred Heart - May 8, 2026
Lindy Feider
3
Sacred Heart SACRED H 15-29
6
Winner Canisius CANISIUS 17-24
Sacred Heart SACRED H
15-29
3
Final
6
Canisius CANISIUS
17-24
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Sacred Heart SACRED H 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 7 1
Canisius CANISIUS 0 1 3 0 0 0 2 0 X 6 8 2

W: Morin, Felix (4-4) L: Bryan Matuschat (4-7) S: Staerker, Sam (4)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Long Ball Powers Baseball Past Sacred Heart in Game One

Redshirt junior Thomas Zwirecki turned in a 2-for-4 performance at the plate, highlighted by his three-run homer in the third, to help Canisius secure a 6-3 win over Sacred Heart in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference baseball action Friday at the Demske Sports Complex in Buffalo, N.Y.
 
The Golden Griffins picked up their eighth series-opening win of the season as they improved to 17-24 overall and 13-12 in league play. Sacred Heart dropped to 15-29 overall and 11-13 in conference with the setback.
 
Zwirecki was responsibile for half of Canisius' offensive output while junior Eric Weeks drove in a pair on his two-run shot in the seventh. On the mound, senior Felix Morin recorded his fourth win as he allowed two earned runs while striking out five in 6.2 innings of work. Senior Sam Staerker recorded his fourth save of the season with 2.1 innings of relief out of the pen, striking out three.
 
Gavin Donahue went 2-for-4 to pace the Sacred Heart lineup, opening the scoring in the series finale in the first with a double. Will Rudolph was the other Pioneer to register multiple hits in the contest, finishing the day with two hits in four appearances at the plate. Bryan Matuschat was tagged with the loss on the mound after seven innings, allowing six runs.
 
Sacred Heart took the lead in the first inning as Donohue ripped a double down the left-field line, plating JW Fitzgerald from second. Following the RBI double, CJ Nolan singled to center, bringing Donohue home and giving the Pioneers a 2-0 lead.
 
The Griffs would cut the Pioneers' lead in half in the second, courtesy of an RBI single from senior Owen Silliman that scored fellow senior Andrew Marcello from second.
 
Canisius took the lead in the third as redshirt freshman Bennett Cox and senior Mason Cisco delivered back-to-back singles before Zwirecki launched a 1-0 pitch over the fence in left center, putting the Griffs ahead, 4-2.
 
The Pioneers made it a one-run game in the seventh as Will Cook delivered an RBI double to make it a 4-3 ballgame. The Griffs answered in the bottom of the frame as Zwirecki ripped a double to center before Weeks launched a two-run homer to center, extending the lead to 6-3.
 
Staerker would close out the final 2.1 innings on the mound, holding Sacred Heart to just two hits while striking out three en route to the three-run victory.
 
GAME NOTES
• With Friday's win, Canisius and Sacred Heart stand at 2-2 overall in the all-time series.
• With his two-hit performance on Friday, Zwirecki now has 14 multi-hit games this season. The redshirt junior leads the Griffs with 33 RBI and 71 total bases on the year.
• Weeks has tallied 10 hits over his last seven contests. He leads the Blue and Gold with his 1.094 OPS and is second on the team with 26 RBI.
• In his last 21 games, Cox has tallied 37 hits. The redshirt freshman leads the Griffs in batting average (.368), runs (33), and hits (56) for the season.
• On the mound, Morin improved his ERA to 2.83 in the win. The Quebec City, Quebec native now has nine appearances this season with five or more strikeouts.
• With the Griffs' two long balls in Friday's win, Canisius now has four games this season with multiple home runs. The last time Canisius hit multiple homers in a game was its six-home run performance against Le Moyne on April 21.

UP NEXT
Canisius and Sacred Heart continue their three-game series Saturday with a 1 p.m. contest at the Demske Sports Complex in Buffalo, N.Y.

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