STAFF REPORTS
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The Canisius baseball team recorded a pair of mid-week victories on Tuesday, earning a walk-off win against Buffalo in game one of a doubleheader, 6-5, before cruising to a 13-5 victory in game two. With the wins Canisius is now 18-13, while Buffalo is 10-19 overall.
Game #1: Canisius, 6 – UB, 5
Canisius fans saw more Demske Sports Complex magic on Tuesday, as the crowd witnessed the team’s second walk-off win at home this season. Canisius entered the final frame down 5-3 before a two-run homerun by Ryan Stekl lifted the Griffs to a 6-5 victory.
The Bulls jumped out to a 4-3 lead after the fifth inning, registering two-run rallys in the top of the fourth and fifth. Buffalo added an insurance run in the top of the seventh before the Stekl’s heroic swing.
The Bulls put in Ben Vey onto close out the game, but the Buffalo hurler, yielded a pair of singles to put runners at first and second with no outs. Wilson laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners over, before Jake Lumley fanned to give the Griffs two outs with runners at second and third.
A wild pitch by Vey brought in Bennett to inch the Griffs closer, making it 5-4, before a longball by Stekl to Centerfield, brought in Jake Burlingame, giving Canisius the thrilling victory.
Stekl was the only Griff in the game to tally more than one hit, finishing the game with two hits and two RBI. Six other batters recorded hits in the game, with Christ Conley, Tim Kensinger and Mark McKenna tallying RBI in the contest.
Zachary Sloan got the start and worked 3.1 innings, and allowed three hits and two earned runs in the outing. He also fanned four in the no-decision. Will Frank relieved Sloan, and worked 2.1 frames and allowed five hits and two earned runs, while Michael Ginther finished the game, throwing the final 1.1 innings, allowing no hits and one run, and struck out two, as he improved to 2-0.
Game #2; Canisius, 13 – UB, 5
Canisius plated eight runs in the bottom of the second inning, to cruise to a 13-5 victory in the second game.
The decisive second frame, saw eight runs, scored on two hits and two errors, as walks and miscues plagued the Bulls.
Between lineup substitutions and relief pitchers the Griffs had 19 players see action in the second game.
Christ Conley and Stephen Bennett led the way with a pair of hits each. Conley drove in four on the day, while Bennett scored three runs. Lumley tallied a pair of RBI as well in the game, while Gage Lanning drilled a pinch hit homerun, and stayed in the game to play left field.
Carson Perkins got the start and worked two frames and allowed one hit and three earned runs in the no-decision. Jared Kennedy got his first win of the season, working the next two innings as he allowed no nits and no runs, to go along with a trio of strikeouts.
