Fairfield and Rider Advance to MAAC Baseball Championship Round; Canisius and Marist to Play Decisive Game 3

5/21/2021 12:00:00 AM

No. 1 Fairfield University vs. No. 8 Manhattan College
2021 MAAC Baseball Championship – Quarterfinal Round
Alumni Diamond | Fairfield, CT

Game 1 – Fairfield 2, Manhattan 1
Game 2 – Fairfield 8, Manhattan 5

Top-seeded Fairfield University (34-1, 33-1 MAAC) completed the sweep of No. 8 Manhattan College (12-24, 12-22 MAAC) on Thursday in the MAAC Baseball Quarterfinals to clinch hosting rights for the Championship Round on May 26-29. The opening game of the series featured impressive outings from both starting pitchers as Fairfield’s Michael Sansone and Manhattan’s Logan Muratalla faced off over the game's first eight innings.With a one-run lead in the bottom of the ninth, Fairfield’s Byson Cafaro shut down the Jaspers offense, left the bases loaded, and secured victory for the Stags. Game 2 featured more offense as both teams combined for 13 runs and four home runs hit. The game’s key moment came in the fifth inning when Dan Ryan and Justin Guerrera hit back-to-back home runs that would give the Stags the lead for good.

Fairfield Notes – Game 1

Michael Sansone pitched eight shutout innings for the Stags, giving up only six hits while striking out six to earn the victory.
Byson Cafaro, the 2021 MAAC Relief Pitcher of the Year, got Fairfield out of the jam in the bottom of the ninth by recording the game’s final two outs and leave the tying and go-ahead runs stranded on base to earn the save.
Mike Becchetti’s solo home run in the seventh inning would put Fairfield up for good, giving them a two-run lead in the late stages of the game.

Fairfield Notes – Game 2

Ryan’s three-run homer in the fifth inning would give Fairfield their first lead of the game. His three RBI led the way for the Stags.
Guerrera, Owen Wosleger, and Ryan Strollo each drove in one run for Fairfield.
John Signore was credited with the win for Fairfield, pitching 2 1/3 shutout innings in relief to help the team clinch their spot in the championship round. He did not allow a hit and struck out three in the effort.

Manhattan Notes – Game 1

Logan Muratalla had his longest outing of the season for the Jaspers, pitching eight innings while only surrendering two runs on seven hits and striking out six batters.
Sam Franco would cut Manhattan’s deficit to one run in the ninth inning, driving in one run off of a double to make it a 2-1 game.
Franco (2) and Richie Barrella (2) would each earn multi-hit games.

Manhattan Notes – Game 2

All five of Manhattan’s runs came off of home runs, with Matt Padre hitting a three-run shot in the third inning, and Sam Franco tallying a two-run blast in the seventh.
The entire Manhattan lineup recorded at least one hit, combining for 10 on the afternoon.
Frankie Marinelli hit the game’s only triple in the top of the fourth.

No. 3 Rider University vs. No. 6 Niagara University
2021 MAAC Baseball Championship – Quarterfinal Round
Sonny Pittaro Field | Lawrenceville, NJ

Game 1 – Rider 12, Niagara 4
Game 2 – Rider 8, Niagara 5

Fourth-seeded Rider University (20-16, 18-16 MAAC) accumulated 20 runs over two games as their offense powered them to a sweep of No. 6 Niagara University (16-17, 17-15 MAAC) in their MAAC Baseball Quarterfinal matchup. The Broncs stormed out of the gate in Game 1, scoring seven runs over the first two innings of play. Rider pitcher Pete Soporowski would hold Niagara to four runs over seven innings while the offense built their lead to as high as eight runs. It would take the Broncs a bit longer to find a similar rhythm in Game 2, but would eventually find it again in the fifth as they'd go on to score five runs over three innings.

Rider now advances to the championship round in Fairfield, CT, where their opponent is to be determined.

Rider Notes – Game 1

Along with Sean McGeehan (4), Tyler Stockwell (3), Luke Lesch (2), Jake Barbiere (1), Scott Shaw (1), and Lou Priolo (1) all drove in runs for Rider.
Rider would combine for 12 hits, with Shaw and Priolo each earning three-hit games. Barbiere, Jordan Erbe, and Kyle Johnson all finished the game with two hits each.

Rider Notes – Game 2

Eight Broncs recorded hits, with Socrates Bardatsos leading the way with three. Bardatsos would also hit a triple in the bottom of the six that would drive in a pair of runs.
Bardatsos (4), David Bermudez (1), Luke Lesch (1), Lou Priolo (1), Brian Skettini (1) all tallied at least one RBI.
Lesch’s solo home run in the seventh inning was the only homer of the game for the Broncs.

Niagara Notes – Game 1

Dawson Bailey opened the scoring with a solo homer in the first inning. Bailey would also cross home plate three times during the game, tying the game-high.
Six players tallied hits, with Cole O’Connor leading the way with three.
Cole Tucker led the Purple Eagles with two RBI.

Niagara Notes – Game 2

For the second straight game, Niagara would get on the board first, with Max Giordano blasting a solo home run in the second inning.
Giordano was one of three Purple Eagles to go yard, along with Peter Battaglia in the eighth inning and Cole Tucker in the ninth inning
Niagara held the advantage in hits, 13-12, with five players recording multi-hit games

No. 4 Canisius College vs. No. 5 Marist College
2021 MAAC Baseball Championship – Quarterfinal Round
Demske Sports Complex | Buffalo, NY

Game 1 – Canisius 8, Marist 3
Game 2 – Marist 12, Canisius 6

No. 4 Canisius College (18-14, 17-13 MAAC) and No. 5 Marist College (18-10, 17-9 MAAC) finished day one of their quarterfinal series in a split, with Canisius taking Game 1 and Marist taking the second. After falling behind by two runs, the Griffs put together a three-run fourth inning to take their first lead of the game and never looked back. In total, Canisius would tally seven unanswered runs the rest of the way to secure the 8-3 win. Marist would nearly accomplish the same thing in Game 2, as they would score 11 runs over a three-inning span to extend the series for another day.

Game 3 between Canisius and Marist is scheduled for 12 p.m. on Friday, May 21 at the Demske Sports Complex in Buffalo. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

Canisius Notes – Game 1

Kyle Warner was credited with the win, pitching 5 2/3 shutout innings in relief. He gave up two hits and walked one batter while recording a game-high seven strikeouts.
Carlin Dick hit the game’s only home run, a solo home run in the first inning to cut Canisius’ early deficit, 2-1.
Five Griffs drove in at least one run, with Dick, Jacob Martins, and Jacob Victor each finishing the game with two RBI.

Canisius Notes – Game 2

Canisius would get their offense going with a four-run first inning. Vinny Chiarenza and Max Grant each recording an RBI during the inning.
Chiarenza would add two more RBI in the fifth inning with a two-run home run. His three RBI tied for the game-high.

Marist Notes – Game 1

Seven Red Foxes tallied hits, led by Robbie Armitage, Dylan Hoy, and Tyler Kapuscinski with two each.
Armitage would give Marist the early 2-0 lead thanks to a double that scored Kapuscinski and Brian Picone. Armitage (2) and Kapuscinski (1) would record all three RBI for the Red Foxes.

Marist Notes – Game 2

Marist would go through their full lineup during their six-run third inning, tallying seven hits and leaving one runner on base.
The Red Foxes would score their last four runs of the game off of homers from Nico Amory, Dylan Hoy, and Colin Mackle.
Amory and Hoy would lead the team with three RBI each.
Erubiel Candelario would earn the save, striking out four in 3 2/3 innings of work.

The 2021 MAAC Baseball Championship continues with the Quarterfinal Round on Friday, May 21, as No. 2 Monmouth University and No. 7 Siena College begin their three-game series, along with the decisive third game between No. 4 Canisius and No. 5 Marist. The 2021 MAAC Baseball Championship Round is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, May 26. For more information on the 2021 MAAC Baseball Championship, visit MAACSports.com/baseball.

About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) celebrates its 40^th year of competition during the 2020-21 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.