WAPPINGERS FALLS, NY (May 21, 2026) – The 2026 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Baseball Championship began on Wednesday, May 20 at Heritage Financial Park in Wappingers Falls with a trio of games. No. 3 Fairfield University, No. 4 Merrimack College, and No. 6 Marist University each advanced in the championship, with Fairfield and Merrimack moving on in the winner’s bracket, while Marist picked up a win out of the elimination bracket.
No. 3 Fairfield – 6 | No. 6 Marist – 3
Heritage Financial Park | WAPPINGERS FALLS, NY
Box Score
No. 3 Fairfield defeated No. 6 Marist 6-3 in the championship’s first game. 2026 MAAC Pitcher of the Year, Ben Alekson got the starting nod for the Stags and answered the call, behind 114 pitches and a complete game win. Fairfield struck first offensively, getting a trio of RBIs from JP Kuczik in the bottom of the first and third innings. In the first, Kuczik hit a two run single, which scored Nolan Colby and TJ Schmalzle. In the third, he used a sacrifice fly to center, to score Schmalzle for his second run of the day. Over the next inning and a half, the teams combined to score four runs, with two runs each. In the top half of the fourth, Brady Steinert got an RBI on a ground out to third base for Marist, cutting the score to 3-1. Fairfield tacked on two runs of its own in the bottom half of the frame to extend the lead to 5-1, before Marist added one in the top of the fifth when Noel Rivera doubled to left field to bring home AJ Brotz. Still 5-2 entering the seventh, Marist sophomore Luke Monico blasted a line drive solo home run over the left field wall, his first homer of the season, to pull the Red Foxes within two runs. Fairfield scored one insurance run in the bottom of the seventh, before Alekson closed the door on Marist in the final two innings.
Fairfield Notes and Notables
- Alekson (7-4) went all 9.0 innings, tossing his first complete game of the season.
- In the win, Alekson struck out two hitters, allowing one walk, seven hits and giving up two earned runs.
- The victory was career win number 22 for Alekson, tying him for the most in Fairfield history.
- Fairfield finished the day with seven hits and six runs.
- Kuczik got on base three times, going 2-for-2 at the plate with one hit by pitch.
- Kuczik accounted for four out of the six Fairfield runs in the win, recording three RBIs and scoring one run.
- Zach Stephenson went 2-for 3, scored a run and batted in a run.
- Schmalzle scored a pair of runs early in the meeting and one RBI.
- Ryna Paine (1-for-3) was also responsible for an RBI and run scored.
- Fairfield resumes play tomorrow afternoon at 3:00 pm and will take on No. 2 Niagara University.
Marist Notes and Notables
- Marist connected on seven hits and scored three runs in the setback.
- Leading the Red Foxes at the plate was Brotz (3-for-4), picking up a pair of singles, a triple, and a run scored.
- Nathan Lincoln hit .500 with two hits on four at bats, also scoring a run.
- Monico’s solo homer was his lone hit in the game.
- Starting right-handed pitcher Andrew Fierro (3-4) received the decision and pitched 3.1 innings, with two strike outs, three hits and four earned runs.
- Marist fell to the elimination side of the bracket in the defeat.
No. 4 Merrimack – 7 | No. 5 Canisius – 0
Heritage Financial Park | WAPPINGERS FALLS, NY
Box Score
No. 4 Merrimack shutout No. 5 Canisius, 7-0 in the second game of day one. Merrimack did its damage early and late in the contest, plating two runs in the first and four in the seventh. In the opening inning, Jayden Hamilton singled to left field, driving in the first run, followed by Brooks Craigue advancing home on a fielding error to push the lead to 2-0. The score would remain deadlocked over the next three and a half innings, before the Warriors eventually scored again in the bottom of the fifth by way of a Matt DeShiro RBI single up the middle, which scored Christian Scanlon. By the bottom of the seventh, still leading 3-0, Merrimack went on a four-run rally, spearheaded by a pair of two RBI doubles to take a commanding 7-0 lead. With bases loaded, Craigue cracked a line drive to left field, that brought home Scanlon and Chris Goode. One batter later, Joey Frammartino hit a base clearing double down the right field line, sending in DeShiro and Craigue.
Merrimack Notes and Notables
- Five out of the six hits by Merrimack came from the top of the order.
- Craigue and Frammartino led the way, each going 2-for-4, while DeShiro was for 1-for-2 on the afternoon.
- Hamilton (1-for-4) picked up the final hit in the heart of the lineup and added an RBI.
- Craigue contributed four runs, scoring two and batting in two.
- Frammartino had two RBIs, a double, and a stolen base.
- DeShiro crossed home twice and had one RBI, while also reaching base on a walk and hit by pitch.
- Scanlon drew a pair of walks and safely made it home twice, while stealing one base.
- Goode scored the final run for the Warriors.
- A trio of Warriors pitchers combined to pitch the shutout.
- Starting pitcher, James Borsari went 4.0 innings and gave up two hits.
- Colby Baker (9-3) took the mound in relief and earned the win after throwing 3.2 innings of scoreless baseball, where he struck out one and only surrendered one hit and one walk.
- Michael Bradshaw closed out the game’s final 1.1 innings, in which he gave up just one hit against six batters faced.
- In its first ever MAAC postseason game, Merrimack earned its first playoff win.
- Merrimack advances in the winner’s bracket to face top seeded Rider tomorrow morning at 11:00 am.
Canisius Notes and Notables
- Canisius had seven total base runners (four hits, two bases on balls, one error).
- Owen Silliman was the lone Golden Griffin to reach base more than once, going 1-for-2 with a double and drawing a walk.
- Also recording hits were JC Spinosa (1-for-1), Thomas Zwirecki (1-for-4) and Blake Herman (1-for-4)
- Starter, Felix Morin (5-5) was the losing pitcher after throwing 6.1 innings where he gave up two earned runs, four hits, and struck out four.
- The loss placed Canisius in the elimination bracket.
No. 6 Marist – 10 | No. 5 Canisius – 8
Heritage Financial Park | WAPPINGERS FALLS, NY
Box Score
In the first elimination bracket game of the championship, No. 6 Marist survived a late comeback attempt by No. 5 Canisius, holding on for a 10-8 triumph to keep its postseason hopes alive and end the Golden Griffins season. The Red Foxes used small ball play to score its first runs in the first inning, when Noel Rivera laid down a bunt that resulted in a throwing error at the plate, scoring a pair of runs. Connor Lawrence got in the action with an RBI sacrifice bunt to drive in the third run. The fourth inning would prove to be the dagger for Marist. With the bases loaded, Monico, who already had the day’s only home run, stepped to the plate and sent a bomb over the left field wall for a grand slam, scoring four runs and pushing the lead to 7-0. Then with two on and two outs, Chris Diaz hit a triple to left field, clearing the bases for two RBIs. The inning would cap off with an RBI double by Rivera to extend the lead to 10-0. In total, the Red Foxes had a four-hit, seven run rally in the fourth. Despite trailing by 10 runs, Canisius was not done. The Golden Griffins put together a seven spot of its own in the bottom of the fifth. Bennett Cox erased the shutout when he connected on a single to center field that got two runs home (10-2). Next, Mason Cisco drove in Eric Weeks from third on his ground out at first base (10-3). The fourth run was driven in by an RBI double from Zwirecki, which sent Cox across home plate (10-4). Spinosa’s single through the right side drove in Zwirecki and cut the deficit that was once double figures, in half to just five runs. A balk by the pitcher would bring home run number six in the rally, before Andrew Marcello capped off the Griffs run, hitting a single to right that allowed Herman to make it home (10-7). The Griffs had seven hits and seven runs in the frame. After a 1-2-3 top sixth by Canisius’ defense, the Griffs tacked on another run, coming from Cisco’s RBI single through the left side, that would make the meeting 10-8. Despite the late rally, neither team scored another run the rest of the way, keeping the score at 10-8 in favor of the Red Foxes.
Marist Notes and Notables
- Monico’s four RBIs and one run off his grand slam led the way for the Red Foxes.
- Monico finished the day as the only player to go yard over the three games., doing so twice in addition to his solo blast in the first game.
- Lincoln reached base four times, going 3-for-4 at the plate while also getting hit once and scoring a run.
- Both Brotz (2-for-5) and Rivera (2-for-4) produced a multi-hit game.
- Brotz scored a pair of runs and Rivera batted in two runs and reached home once.
- Diaz accounted for two RBIs and a run, while TJ Baer made it home twice.
- Reliever Logan Scholl (3-4) went 2.0 scoreless innings with two strikeouts, claiming the win.
- Closer Jack Sullivan struck out two of the four batters he faced in the ninth, to record the save, his second of the season.
- Marist remains alive in the championship and will play in an elimination contest tomorrow night at 7:00 pm against the lowest seeded losing team from games 4/5.
Canisius Notes and Notables
- After being shutout and held to just four hits in game two of the tournament, Canisius erupted for 14 hits and scored eight runs in the defeat.
- Nine out of the 10 Griffs who had an appearance at the plate earned a hit, with five players recording a multi-hit outing.
- Tyson Kaufman (2-for-2), Weeks (2-for-3), Cisco 2-for-4), Marcello (2-for-5), and Silliman (2-for-4) led the way with two hits apiece.
- Cox and Cisco were the team leaders with two RBIs each, while Cox scored a team-high two runs.
- Starter, Joe LoPinto (4-7) gave up eight runs, six earned, in 3.1 innings in the defeat, striking out two.
- Canisius season comes to an end with a 21-27 overall record.
For all information regarding the 2026 MAAC Baseball Championship please visit
maacsports.com/baseball.
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 13 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 45th year of competition during the 2025-26 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius University, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan University, Marist University, Merrimack College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Sacred Heart University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena University.
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