April 23, 2006
Buffalo, NY--Canisius College defeated the Saints 13-8 in league baseball action this afternoon at the Demske Sports Complex. The victory gives the Golden Griffins the series sweep over the Saints. It's the first time Canisius has swept a conference opponent in a series of three or more games since the 1994 campaign.
Siena (13-24-1, 6-9 MAAC), jumped out to a 5-0 lead after the first inning but Canisius struck for three runs of its own in the second to narrow the gap to 5-3. Two innings later, Canisius landed four more runs on the scoreboard to give the Griffs a 7-5 lead.
Scott King led Siena, going 3-for-4 with three doubles and two RBIs, and Chris Klepps had a triple and three RBIs.
After being held scoreless in the third and fourth inning, the Saints struck in the sixth inning when Griffs pitcher Dan Clifford walked three Saints starting with sophomore Chris Klepps who advanced off senior Eric Hildenbrand doubled to left field. Brian Schmotzer walked and was replaced at the plate by senior Billy Lazio who pinch ran for Schmotzer. With the bases loaded, Nick Messinger walked and was rewarded with an RBI; after Lazio advanced to second; Hildenbrand advanced to third; Klepps scored, to end the inning 9-6 in favor of the Griffs.
The Griffs (12-27) however would not go quietly as they were trailing 5-3, Canisius struck for four runs in the fourth. Joseph plated one with a double, and Cabello scored another with a sacrifice fly. Mark Tupek singled in a run, and Gabe Baida plated Tupek with a triple to give the Griffs a 7-5 cushion. Cabello drove in a run with a single, and Joseph scored on a wild pitch in the fifth inning as the Griffs went ahead 9-5.
Leading 9-6, Canisius broke the game open in the eighth inning. Mark Tupek and Gabe Baida led off with walks, and Matt Mazurek took first on a catcher's interference call. Bob Locke drove in two runs with a double, and Kevin Mahoney scored another with a groundout. Brian Hartmann, who pinch ran for Locke, scored on an error to make the margin 13-6.
The Saints loaded the bases in the ninth, but Clifford got the next two batters to fly out and the last on a groundout to preserve the win.
Siena returns home to take on Cornell, in a doubleheader on Tuesday, April 25 at 2:30 and 5 p.m., respectively.
