By Colin Richey, Assistant Sports Editor
After a successful sweep of the Siena Saints saw the Canisius baseball team produce 34 runs over three games, the Griffs combined for just nine runs as they were swept by Quinnipiac in a three-game series.
The team also registered just five runs in a 6–5 non-conference loss on Tuesday to St. Bonaventure after falling to the Bonnies 15–9 earlier this season.
During the series against the Bobcats, junior Jackson Strong recorded three hits, two runs and one RBI, while snapping his 16-game hitting streak (the longest by a player in the program since 2018). Senior Carlin Dick notched four hits and three RBIs across the three games. Nine runs is the lowest total runs scored by Canisius in a series against a MAAC opponent this season. The team combined for 18 hits, while leaving 20 runners on base against Quinnipiac. “Guys were swinging it well against Siena, but against Quinnipiac I felt like the wind was blowing in[ward], and we had a poor approach on Saturday and Sunday,” head coach Matt Mazurek said.
Against St. Bonaventure, Strong and Dick each recorded a hit and scored once, with both players extending their on base streaks. Strong has gotten on base in each of the last 30 games, while Dick accomplished the feat for the 19th consecutive time. The team registered eight hits in the loss, while leaving two runners on base. Mazurek explained, “If you keep your approach that’s been working for you all season and you don’t deviate from it, that success is going to continue to come.”
The Griffs also currently lead the MAAC in stolen bases with 90 and stolen base attempts recording 108. 83.3% is the best stolen base success rate in the conference and has been a key factor in the team’s scoring this season. The team registered nine stolen bases in the series against Quinnipiac. “We made the commitment last year to practice and plan to be more aggressive on the bases,” Mazurek said. “It’s in the scouting reports, the little tells that a lot of pitchers have that we’re recognizing better than we once did because we’re more aware of it.”
Canisius has four conference matchups remaining, hosting Marist, traveling to Saint Peter’s and Mount St. Mary’s and ending the regular season at home against Niagara. Currently, the Griffs sit in sixth place in the MAAC, maintaining the last spot in the playoffs. Their two away series are against bottom-three teams in the conference, while Marist sits one spot ahead of Canisius in the standings. Niagara is currently the top seed in the conference.
The season is far from over for Canisius baseball. With plenty of opportunities remaining to improve their record, the Griffs will need to take advantage of their matchups against weaker opponents, and the fact that they have home-field advantage for their two series against the stronger teams they still have to face. The first begins on Friday at 3 p.m. at the Demske Sports Complex, where the Griffs will look to get back on track against the Red Foxes.