April 18, 2010
Final Stats
Siena scored five times with two outs in the fourth and held on for a critical 9-5 win at MAAC leader Canisius Sunday afternoon at the Demske Sports Complex. Sophomore reliever Ryan Poplawski earned his fourth win of the season and the victory snapped Siena's six-game losing streak and Canisius' eight-game MAAC winning streak.
The win moved Siena to 14-21 overall and 3-6 in MAAC play, while the Golden Griffins saw their 2010 record slip to 24-13 overall and 8-1 in league action. The Griffs took a 2-0 lead on RBI singles by Ian Choy and Steve McQuail in the third.
Siena answered in the top of the fourth with five runs to take a 5-2 lead, with all five of those runs coming with two outs in the frame. With two outs and the bases load, Siena right fielder Andy Carucci drew a walk to make it 2-1, and shortstop Andrew Sawyer cleared the bags with a double to give the Saints a 4-2 cushion. Anthony Giansanti wrapped up the scoring in the fourth with an RBI-single to right center that allowed Sawyer to cross the plate.
The Griffs answered with a single run in the fifth when junior Sean Jamieson, who reached base by being hit by a pitch, stole third and then advanced home on a throwing error by Siena's catcher.
In the seventh, Siena scored two more runs on RBI hits by Kevin Quaranto and Kyle Baldani to push its hold to 7-3, and the Saints added two insurance runs in the ninth when Baldani knocked picked up an RBI on an infield hit and Canisius was charged with a throwing error that also allowed Dan Paolini to score from second base on the play.
Baldani finished with a game-high four hits and Quaranto added three for the Saints. Mike Fish also posted a multi-hit game with two safeties.
For Canisius, senior Ian Choy went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and a run scored while fellow senior Shayne Willson and junior Steve McQuail added two hits apiece in the losing effort.
The Griffs attempted to make a comeback in the bottom of the ninth when the team scored two runs on an RBI-double by Perry Silverman and an RBI-single by Choy. Canisius had runners at first and second with no one out, but Giansanti, who came on in relief of Poplawski in the ninth, got a fly-ball out and a double-play to end the contest.
The Saints return to action Tuesday at Cornell. They host Iona in a three-game MAAC set next weekend.
