JERSEY CITY, N.J. – The Saint Peter's baseball team took down Canisius in two exciting games at Jaroschak Field on Saturday. The Peacocks won the first game,9-8, before ultimately sweeping the day with a 14-11 win in the second game.
The Peacocks (7-14, 3-5 MAAC) blistered the ball all day vs. the Griffs (2-15, 1-4 MAAC) as they recorded 29 hits over the two games, including a season-high 19 hits in the second game.
Ashby Vining contributed four of those hits in five at bats while adding three runs and an RBI. It was
John Wade, however, who kept Saint Peter's afloat in the later innings. He finished with four hits, four RBIs, a double and a home run.
In game one of Saturday's doubleheader,
Yash Jain pitched the most, giving up just two runs and five hits throughout the first four innings.
Garrett Greco led Saint Peter's with four hits and had the team's only double.
Tyler DeClusin and
Logan Baker each totaled two hits.
HOW IT HAPPENED
GAME ONE: Saint Peter's started the game off hot as its first three batters got on base to make it bases loaded. Back-to-back hits by DeClusin and Baker scored two runners, putting the Peacocks up 2-0.
In the third inning, Canisius hit a homer to left field to make it 1-2. The Peacocks then built a 5-2 lead over the next couple innings. In the top of the fifth, the Griffs came storming back into the game with four runs, 6-5.
The Canisius lead didn't last very long as Greco doubled to left center for two RBIs before scoring himself after a big hit from
Tommy Kendrick. The Peacocks then held an 8-6 advantage going into the sixth.
Later on, the Griffs tied the game at 8-8 while grounding out for a Saint Peter's double play with
Mike DiForte fresh on the mound. DiForte then got the Peacocks out of the top of the seventh with a swinging strikeout.
Both teams went scoreless until Vining made it to home plate on a hit from
Ethan Starks, giving Saint Peter's a 9-8 lead. In Canisius' last chance to extend the game, DiForte hit the first batter and sent him to first. He then pitched three straight outs including another swinging strikeout. The Peacocks took game one by one run.
GAME TWO: Saint Peter's took a 6-5 lead over the Griffs after the first three innings and it turns out then never trailed for the rest of the game.
In the bottom of the fifth, Greco hit a two-run home run as
Alex Rakas reached home plate to extend the Peacocks' lead to 9-5. They then made it 11-6, but Canisius started to make things interesting in the seventh with a home run of its own, but this one for three runs. SPU responded well with two scores to make it 14-9.
Saint Peter's managed to hold the Griffs scoreless until the ninth inning when the Griffs tacked on two more runs to come with three. The Peacocks secured the 14-11 at home after
Charlie Berryman finished the job on the mound.
UP NEXT
The Peacocks will play the last of the three-game series tomorrow, Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
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