After allowing six runs in the first inning, the Quinnipiac baseball team never recovered falling to the Canisius Golden Griffins 15-9 Saturday afternoon. 

Before most of the Golden Griffin faithful could find their seats, the home team had built themselves a massive 6-0 advantage.

The first inning started with sophomore outfielder Jackson Strong knocking a solid single to center field, swiftly stealing second base shortly after. On the ensuing at-bat, junior infielder Max Grant showed patience at the plate and ultimately earned a walk. Senior outfielder Kenny Dodson smacked a single to right field, allowing the swift-footed Strong to score the afternoon’s first run. 

With all the momentum going Canisius’ way, graduate student designated hitter Dylan Vincent stepped up to the plate and crushed a triple to center field, driving in both Grant and Dodson on a two-RBI base hit. Shortly after, junior outfielder Carlin Dick singled to center field, bringing home Vincent for yet another run as the Golden Griffin onslaught was in full force.

Canisius continued to make Quinnipiac graduate student pitcher Tim Blaisdell work. Graduate student infielder Kyle Kush walked, paving the way for junior catcher Ty Wevers to deliver a clutch single to right field, scoring Dick and advancing Kush to third base. Kush would later score on a passed ball. The Bobcats were finally able to escape the inning, but the damage was done, as the visitors trailed the top team in the MAAC by six after one.

Canisius redshirt sophomore infielder Josh Niles, who tortured the Bobcats in game one of the series, stayed red hot at the plate with a solo homer in the second to make it 7-0. 

Kush and Grant picked up an additional RBI in the third, as the Golden Griffins’ advantage grew to nine. 

The Bobcats finally broke through in the fourth inning, as graduate student infielder Kyle Maves scored on a wild pitch. Senior outfielder Braydon Seaburg’s two-run jack cut the deficit to 9-3. 

However, the hosts came storming back. Dodson picked up his second RBI of the afternoon in the bottom of the fourth, as Canisius reached double digits. Blaisdell was able to get through the remainder of the frame without any more runs crossing the plate, but Quinnipiac head coach John Delaney had seen enough of the graduate student, pulling him after four innings. 

Quinnipiac continued to get its runs from the long ball. In the sixth, junior catcher Keegan O’Connor took senior pitcher Chris Pouliot yard, and two batters later, redshirt junior designated hitter Sean Swenson rocketed a pitch way over the outfield wall. 

With the Golden Griffins’ lead down to five — the smallest it had been since the first inning — the Canisius offense went back to work in the bottom of the sixth. Wevers picked up his fourth RBI of the afternoon with a bases clearing double to left, screaming toward his dugout as he pulled into second base. Wevers was able to trot home after Strong cleared the fences for a two-run homer. 

The offense has powered Quinnipiac all season, but in the first two games of this series against Canisius, the Bobcats’ offense was overmatched. 

In game one of the series, Quinnipiac almost came back from a large deficit due to some ninth-inning magic. Although the Bobcats were able to plate runs in both the seventh and ninth innings, Canisius cruised to a 15-9 victory. 

The two teams will meet again on Sunday for the series finale, where the Bobcats look to avoid a sweep. Quinnipiac will continue to battle for a spot in the MAAC tournament, as first pitch is slated for 2:30 p.m.