Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Canisius University Athletics

#Griffs The Official Home of the Canisius University Golden Griffins | #Griffs
Jackson Strong HR vs St. Joes
Joe Schneyder / Say Cheeze Studios
5
Canisius CAN 0-1
6
Winner Saint Joseph's SJU 1-0
Canisius CAN
0-1
5
Final
6
Saint Joseph's SJU
1-0
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Canisius CAN 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 3 5 8 4
Saint Joseph's SJU 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 6 10 4

W: YABLONSKI, Colin (1-0) L: Abbott, Levi (0-1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Baseball Loses on Walk-Off in Season Opener

Despite a three-run rally by Canisius in the top of the ninth inning, an RBI single off the bat of Saint Joseph's catcher Jakob Reed proved to be the difference as the Hawks defeated the Golden Griffins in walk-off fashion in collegiate baseball action Friday at Smithson Field in Philadelphia, Pa.

Right fielder Ryan Piccolo led the Hawks (1-0) to the opening-day victory, going 2-for-5 with two home runs and five RBI. His effort kept the Hawks in the lead from the first inning to the ninth, where Reed (3-for-5) tallied the decisive RBI to win the ball game. 

Colin Yablonski earned the win out of the bullpen for Saint Joseph's, working out of a bases-loaded rally in the top of the ninth. 

Graduate student outfielder Mike DeStefano was the spark in the lead-off spot for the Golden Griffins (0-1), hitting singles in his first three at-bats on his way to a 4-for-5 day at the plate with one run scored. He was aided by junior Jackson Strong, who notched the first two runs of the season for the Griffs with a two-run blast in the fifth inning. He went 2-for-5, hitting a single in the third and scoring another run in the ninth.

Junior RHP Peyton Consigli got the start on the mound for the Griffs' opener, giving up a three-run shot in the first inning but settling down to go 3.2 innings with two earned runs while striking out three.

Senior RHP Levi Abbott took the loss for the Griffs, retiring the first two batters in the bottom of the ninth before giving up the go-ahead RBI single after a series of fielding errors and wild pitches by the Griffs.

The Griffs rallied down from a 5-2 deficit in the ninth inning, started by a single from junior Trent Rumley, who got on second fielding error in the outfield. Rumley advanced to third on a fly-out and scored on a passed ball, bringing the score to 5-3. 

A series of wild pitches and hit batters allowed the Griffs to load the bases and score two more runs to even the score at 5-5, setting the stage for Reed's game-winning hit in the home half of the ninth.

GAME NOTES
•Saint Joseph's evened up the all-time series between the two programs, who are now tied 2-2
•Each team committed four fielding errors in the first contest of the season, along with the Griffs throwing three wild pitches and the Hawks hitting two batters
•Strong tallied an assist from the outfield, throwing out a Saint Joseph's runner at home in the sixth inning
• DeStefano recorded four hits in a game for the fourth time in his career. He last accomplished this feat last season versus Quinnipiac (4/23/23)

UP NEXT
The teams continue their three-game series Saturday with a noon contest at Smithson Field.
Print Friendly Version