By: Jay Ashdown
Losing their first conference series of the season was not the start the Griffs wanted, so a bounce back weekend in Hamden, Connecticut is just what the doctor ordered.
Canisius won two of their three games against Quinnipiac, losing the first matchup 5–2, but following it up with two straight wins. Canisius’s bats were locked and loaded for the second game as the Griffs outpowered the Bobcats 15–9. In the third and final game of the series, Canisius held on in a competitive battle 5–4 to seal the series win.
Canisius got off to a solid start in game one as a Max Grant homer in inning three gave the team a 1–0 lead. Two innings later, the Griffs doubled their lead when Mike DeStefano stole home.
Matt Duffy was cruising through the game, but a rough fifth inning defensively was ultimately where the Griffs lost control of the game. After the first batter grounded out, the Bobcats went to work. Two straight singles and a walk loaded the bases immediately after the first out, and from there things got even wackier.
Quinnipiac’s first run came on a balk, and then the Bobcats tied the game on a wacky error. Duffy registered a strikeout, but an error by the catcher allowed the batter to reach first while a run also scored. Another single gave Quinnipiac their first lead, and then another error by the catcher allowed the runner from third to score making it a 4–2 game.
A sac fly gave the Bobcats a 5–2 lead the next inning, and Quinnipiac locked it down from there to secure the win.
In game two, the bats came alive for both squads, and Canisius dominated early, taking a 5–0 lead by the fourth inning, and eventually expanding it to a 13–3 lead after the top of the 6th. Canisius yielded some runs late, but their early start offensively was too much for the Bobcats to overcome and the Griffs tied the series with a win in a game that featured 24 total runs.
Chris Pouliot was strong on the mound, going five innings, yielding three runs, with only two of them earned. Pouliot struckout eight batters in the process, throwing 87 total pitches.
In the final game of the series, it was the Griffs once again getting on the board first. A two-run shot from Mike Steffan gave the Griffs a 2–0 lead in the first. The Griffs doubled their lead the next inning with another two-run shot, this time off the bat of Vinny Chiarenza. Steffan gave the team a 5–0 lead in the fourth when his double scored DeStefano. Steffan finished the game with three RBI’s.
Quinnipiac threatened in the fifth as the Bobcats put three on the board to get back in the game. They would later cut the deficit to one run in the eighth inning, but ultimately it was not enough as Canisius held on for the win.
Canisius will play their first home series against winless Iona this weekend at Demske Sports Complex. The Gaels are 0–24 on the season, and have a horrific team ERA of 11.58. For reference, teams are batting an absurd .338 against them, and they’ve given up 26 homers in just 24 games.