CANISIUS COLLEGE ATHLETICS
NIAGARA FALLS — Iona freshman pitcher Stephen Hanson allowed just two runs on four hits over 5.1 innings and senior Andrew Camiolo earned his second save of the season after throwing a scoreless 3.2 innings, as the fourth-seeded Gaels defeated third-seeded Canisius 5-2 in an elimination game of 2017 MAAC LifeStorage Baseball Championship at Sal Maglie Stadium Friday night.
With the win, Iona (24-25) advances to the tournament’s elimination round final, where the team will play top-seeded Fairfield. That game will start Saturday at noon. Canisius’ season comes to an end with the loss. The Golden Griffins finished the year with a 35-22 overall record.
For Canisius, junior Gage Lanning had two hits, including a solo homer in the sixth, while senior Jake Lumley added two hits in his final game in a Canisius uniform. Redshirt-junior Liam Wilson had two hits, including a double, in the losing effort.
Iona struck first with a pair of runs in the second, and then made the score 3-0 in the third on an RBI-single to left by sophomore Sean Breen. In the fifth, an RBI-single to center by Iona’s Fran Kinsley made the score 4-0, and the Gaels tacked on an insurance run later in the frame on a Canisius fielding error, the Griffs’ only defensive miscue of the game.
Hansen, who was making just his seventh career start for Iona, was lifted with one out in the sixth after giving up the homer to Lanning before getting a line-drive out to short. Camiolo came on in relief and ended the Griffs’ at-bat in the sixth with a strikeout and a fly ball to center. In the ninth, Canisius’ Billy Krull kept the season alive with a two-out single up the middle, but Camiolo struck out pinch-hitter Cyrus Senior to wrap up the game.
Canisius starter Andrew Kneussle took the loss on the hill for the Blue and Gold after he allowed five runs on six hits to go with four strikeouts and four walks in 4.2 innings of work. Redshirt-junior Michael Ginther threw a season-long 4.1 innings of relief for Canisius, where he allowed two hits and fanned two in 4.1 innings.
GAME NOTES
• Canisius was playing in its 11-straight MAAC Championship event, the longest active streak for any baseball team in the MAAC.
• Iona snapped a 14-game losing streak to Canisius with the win – a streak that dated back to the 2012 season.
• Lanning ended the 2017 MAAC LifeStorage Baseball Championship with two home runs and two doubles.
