Marist & Rider Earn Victories on Day Two of 2017 MAAC LifeStorage Baseball Championship
MAAC Sports
No. 2 Marist College – 6 | No. 3 Canisius College – 2
2017 MAAC LifeStorage Baseball Championship – Game Four
Sal Maglie Stadium
Niagara Falls, NY
Score by Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Canisius 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 6 2
Marist 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 1 X 6 10 2
No. 2 Marist College defeated No. 3 Canisius College, 6-2, in the fourth game of the 2017 MAAC LifeStorage Baseball Championship. The Red Foxes advance in the winners' bracket to face No. 1 Fairfield University, tomorrow, May 26 at 1:30 p.m. on MAAC.TV.
Marist's senior starter Sean Keenan (6-0) earned the win. He tossed 6.0 innings, allowed two runs, earned, on four hits. He struck out seven and walked two. The senior threw 120 pitches, 75 for strikes. Junior Tony Romanelli earned the save, his seventh of the season. He pitched 3.0 innings of scoreless relief and surrendered two hits.
Sophomore outfielder Frankie Gregoire went 2-4 with a home run, two RBI, and two runs scored. Gregoire hit his ninth home run of the season, a two-run shot in the bottom of the seventh inning to give the Red Foxes a 5-2 lead.
Red-shirt freshman designated hitter Tyler Kapuscinski went 2-4 in the win with a RBI and a run scored. Kapuscinski drove in a run in the bottom of the sixth inning when he reached on a fielder's choice. The Red Foxes tallied three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, after going scoreless through the first five innings of play.
Red-shirt senior outfielder Matt Pagano singled home Marist's sixth and final run of the game in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Canisius' junior starter J.P. Stevenson (9-5) took the loss. He went 7.0 innings, allowed five runs, two earned, on eight hits. He struck out six and walked two. Stevenson tossed 113 pitches, 77 for strikes. Senior Michael Ginter tossed an inning of relief for the Griffs. He allowed one run, earned, on two hits. The senior struck out one and walked one.
Senior catcher Christ Conley drove in both runs for Canisius in the top of the first inning with a double to right-centerfield. Junior rightfielder Gage Lanning went 2-5 on the day with two doubles and a run scored.
The Griffs play their next game of the MAAC Baseball Championship, tomorrow, May 26 at 5:00 p.m. on MAAC.TV. They face the winner of No. 4 Iona College and No. 6 Rider University.
No. 6 Rider University – 4 | No. 5 Manhattan College – 3
2017 MAAC LifeStorage Baseball Championship – Game Five
Sal Maglie Stadium
Niagara Falls, NY
Score by Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Rider 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 4 5 2
Manhattan 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 3 10 4
No. 6 Rider University defeated No. 5 Manhattan College, 4-3, to earn its first victory in the MAAC Baseball Championship since 2013. The Broncs advance to Game six of the 2017 MAAC LifeStorage to face No. 4 Iona College tomorrow, May 26 at 10:00 a.m.
Graduate catcher Lee Lipinski drove in the game's first run with a solo home run to leftfield to break a scoreless game in the top of the fifth inning. He went 2-4 with a homer, two RBI, and a run scored. Lipinski drove in the game-winning run in the top of the eighth inning with a two-out single to centerfield.
Rider trailed, 3-2, prior to a two-out rally in the top of the eighth inning which propelled the Broncs to victory. Senior first baseman Tyler Kaiser tied the game with a two-out single to rightfield that scored junior outfielder Harrison McClure.
The Broncs' freshman starter John Yocum tossed 6.2 innings, allowed three runs, earned, on eight hits. He struck out eight and walked none. Yocum's eight strikeouts tied a season and career-high. The freshman pitched 6.0 scoreless inning prior to allowing three runs, earned, in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Junior Paul Sparano (3-4) earned the win for the Broncs. Sparano tossed 2.1 innings of scoreless relief. He surrendered two hits, struck out two, and walked none.
Manhattan's sophomore start Joey Rocchietti (5-5) took the loss. The sophomore went 8.0 innings, allowed four runs, earned, on five hits. He struck out four and walked three in the 109-pitch effort.
Junior outfielder Brendan Bisset went 3-4 with two doubles, two RBI, and scored a run. Bisset drove in two runs with a double down the rightfield line in the top of the seventh inning. Manhattan was held scoreless through the first 6.0 inning prior to Bisset's double. Sophomore catcher Fabian Pena went 1-4 with one RBI.
With the loss, Manhattan has been eliminated from the 2017 MAAC LifeStorage Baseball Championship. The Jaspers finished the season (18-35, 12-12 MAAC).
The 2017 MAAC LifeStorage Baseball Championship takes place at Sal Maglie Stadium hosted by Canisius College and Niagara University from May 24-28.
The Championship is a double elimination style tournament. If the team coming out of the losers' bracket defeats the team in the winners' bracket, the if necessary game takes place on Saturday, May 27 at 3:30 p.m.
The winner of the 2017 MAAC Baseball Championship earns the league's automatic bid into the NCAA Championship. The NCAA Baseball Selection Show is on Monday, May 29 on ESPNU at 12:00 p.m.
For all information on the 2017 MAAC LifeStorage Baseball Championship, visit maacsports.com/baseball and be sure to follow the action on social media by using #MAACBaseball and #LiveNF.
Tickets can be purchased for the 2017 MAAC LifeStorage Baseball Championship by visiting maac.ticketleap.com.