Marist College Wins 2009 MAAC Baseball Championship
MAAC Sports
Trenton, N.J. ? Third-seeded Marist College (31-27) earned the league’s automatic bid to the 2009 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship with a 13-9 victory over second-seeded Canisius College (36-22), in the title game of the 2009 MAAC Baseball Championship at Waterfront Park.
Canisius started things off with two runs in the top of the first inning as MAAC Player of the Year Kevin Mahoney singled to right field to bring in junior designated hitter Ian Choy, and senior second baseman Kevin Mailloux crossed home plate while senior centerfielder Branson Joseph reached first on a fielder’s choice.
The Griffs added another run in the top of the second with sophomore first baseman Brian Burton scoring on a sacrifice fly from sophomore shortstop Steve McQuail.
Marist made their mark on the scoreboard in the second inning when senior designated hitter Kenny Anderson singled to center field, allowing senior left fielder Brian McDonough to record the first run for the Red Foxes (3-1). Marist closed within one run in the bottom of the third as junior shortstop Richard Curylo scored on McDonough’s double down the left field line (3-2).
The Red Foxes then pulled ahead in the bottom of the fourth inning. With the bases loaded and one out, senior right fielder Kyle Meyer was hit by a pitch to plate junior first baseman Ryan Gauck. In the two next at-bats, two batters were walked, giving Marist a 5-3 lead. McDonough was then responsible for adding three more runs to his team’s tally as he doubled to left center (8-3).
Canisius increased its run total by one run in the top of the fifth as McQuail crossed home plate on a single to center field by Choy (8-4). But Marist added two more runs in the bottom of the fifth with back-back RBI singles by Meyer and Curylo to move ahead, 10-4.
The sixth inning provided two more runs for the Griffs. Junior left fielder Perry Silverman scored on a groundout by senior pinch hitter Brian Gibbs, and Mailloux sent a single to left field to bring in Burton (10-6).
Marist, however, would take a six-run lead in the bottom of the seventh as senior pinch runner Dan Gallagher scored on a single by Curylo and Schwind sent an RBI double to left field.
Canisius would close the scoring gap once again in the top of the eighth. Freshman catcher Brad Medici scored on a single to left field by Choy, followed by McQuail capitalizing on a sacrifice fly by Mailloux. Mahoney posted an RBI single to left field in the next at-bat to make it a 12-9 game.
McDonough scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the eighth to give Marist their final score of the day and secure the Red Foxes taking home their fifth MAAC Baseball Title in school history and their first one since 2005.
Sean McKeown improved to 3-3 with the win, while Jacob Wiley, the Most Valuable Player, earned his third save of the championship. Mike Goemans finished the year at 7-6 on the mound.
The 2009 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship 64-team field, with first-round regional pairings and site assignments, will be revealed in a live, half-hour telecast on ESPN at 12:30 p.m. Eastern time, Monday, May 25.
2009 MAAC All-Tournament Team
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Marist |
Canisius |
Manhattan |
Rider |
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Richard Curylo |
Brian Burton |
Mike Gazzola |
Sean Olson |
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Brian McDonough |
Shane Davis |
Chad Salem |
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Kyle Meyer |
Branson Joseph |
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Bryce Nugent |
Kevin Mailloux |
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Most Valuable Player: Jacob Wiley, Marist |