Canisius defeated Marist baseball 7-6 in the second game of a weekend series in Buffalo, N.Y.
On Friday, Marist (15-26, 8-9 MAAC Conference) won the first game 2-1. Sophomore shortstop Bayram Hot homered for the Red Foxes, and sophomore outfielder Dylan Millman singled to drive in the runs for Marist, who survived a bases-loaded situation in the ninth to close out the game.
Both these teams have two of the finest hitters in the MAAC, as Marist sophomore first baseman Ethan Conrad and Canisius junior outfielder Jackson Strong are both top five in batting average; Conrad leads the pack with a .413 on the season and Strong is fourth with a .386 average.
For Marist, sophomore Caleb Kempler was on the bump for game two and went five innings with seven strikeouts, five hits and two runs given up. On the other side was redshirt junior Justin Guiliano, one of the MAAC’s better pitchers. Giuliano proved this as he was solid in his start; he earned six strikeouts in six innings while giving up three hits and two runs.
Canisius (12-23, 6-8 MAAC) threatened early with runners on the corners after graduate student left fielder Kenny Dodson led off with a double, and Strong reached after an infield single, but they were both left stranded.
After a short rain delay, both teams returned to the field for the second inning, and Hot led off with a single to right field. This would be their only hit until the sixth inning. Graduate student left fielder Colin Mackle smoked one to center field, but Strong had an impressive over-the-shoulder catch to keep Marist off the board. Marist ended the top of the second with a double play from Millman.
The third inning saw Marist make some noise on the basepaths; it started with a walk by sophomore third baseman Brady Steinert and a successful bunt from graduate student catcher Danny Moshier after a throwing error by freshman third baseman Tyson Kaufman. Marist would get runners on the corners after a flyout, but Giuliano struck out freshman center fielder Lewis Rodriguez and graduate student infielder Justin Kapuscinski to end the Marist threat.
In the fourth inning, Canisius got on the scoreboard first. Sophomore catcher Tommy Sheridan led off with a double, and Kelly crushed one to center field for a two-run homer, opening a 2-0 lead. The fifth saw Kempler finish his outing strong as he struck out the side, as senior Brian Yetter replaced him on the mound for the sixth inning.
Rodriguez doubled to right field in the top of the sixth, ending the four-inning hit stall for Marist. With Kapuscinski up, he roped a double to right field to drive Rodriguez home to cut the Canisius lead down to one.
The next frame was action-packed on both sides of the plate. Marist got two runners on after graduate student second baseman Johnny Decker walked, and Millman was hit by a pitch. Giuliano was taken out for freshman pitcher Joe Lopinto. He walked the first batter he faced, giving Marist bases loaded with zero outs. With the bases juiced, Moshier bunted, scoring Decker to tie the game at two. However, Conrad, Rodriguez and Kapucinski all grounded out, squandering a massive opportunity for the Red Foxes to take over the game.
With the momentum on Canisius’s side, they capitalized in their half of the inning. Marcello grounded out to third but was safe, and Kaufman walked. Stuckey bunted at his turn, advancing both runners, and Spinosa came up to the plate and slugged a homer to left field to take a 5-2 lead for Canisius. That was Spinsosa’s first collegiate homer.
Canisius scored two more runs in the eighth for the second consecutive inning. Senior first baseman Carlin Dick doubled off the left field wall, and Sheridan was safe after a groundout to third and a dropped ball at second base by Decker. A passed ball and Marcello’s single to right field scored two runs to make it 7-2. Marcello was then caught stealing at second, and Kaufman ended the inning with a strikeout.
Marist did not go down without a fight in the ninth, as they pummeled Lopito with hits. A pitch hit Moshier to lead off the inning. Conrad then crushed a single to center field, and Rodriguez doubled down the left field line to make it 7-3. With Kapusinski up at the plate, he singled past the second baseman and drove in two runs to cut the lead to 7-5.
With two men on, Hot struck out, and Mackle walked as Lopito Blank would be taken out for freshman pitcher Andrew Malec. Decker then walked to get bases loaded, and Marist had a golden opportunity to take the lead.
Hot, however, flew out to shallow center, and with Steinert up to bat, he grounded out to shortstop, scoring one. Dick threw the ball home to get the runner out, ending the game as Canisius escaped with a 7-6 win.
The final game of the weekend set will be tomorrow at noon at Demske Sports Complex.
Edited by Sam Murphy and Luke Sassa
Photo credit: Raegan Van Zandt
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