Sacred Heart
15-29, 11-13
Canisius
17-24, 13-12
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sacred Heart | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 1 |
| Canisius | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | X | 6 | 8 | 1 |
Pioneers Drop Series Opener at Canisius
5/8/2026 5:57:00 PM | Baseball
Buffalo, N.Y. -- Sacred Heart jumped out to an early lead behind a strong first inning, but Canisius answered in the middle frames and held off the Pioneers.
Records
Sacred Heart | 15-29 (11-13 MAAC)
Canisius | 17-24 (13-12 MAAC)
Top Performers
Peter Link: 1-4
JW Fitzgerald: 1-4, R
Gavin Donohue: 2-4, R, RBI, double, SB
CJ Nolan: 1-3, RBI
Will Rudolph: 2-4, R
Will Cook: 1-4, RBI, double
Bryan Matuschat: 7.0 IP, 8 H, 6 R (6 ER), 2 BB, 4 SO
Hector Alejandro: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO
How It Happened
Sacred Heart struck first in the opening inning as Peter Link singled to start the game, and after JW Fitzgerald reached on a fielder's choice, Gavin Donohue ripped an RBI double to bring Fitzgerald home. CJ Nolan followed with an RBI single to score Donohue and give the Pioneers an early 2-0 lead.
On the mound, Bryan Matuschat opened with a strikeout in the first to keep the momentum on Sacred Heart's side.
Canisius answered with a run in the second before taking control with a three-run third inning to move in front.
Matuschat continued to battle, adding another strikeout in the fourth before punching out two more hitters in a strong sixth inning to keep the Pioneers within reach.
Sacred Heart cut into the deficit in the seventh when Will Rudolph singled and later came around to score on a double from Will Cook, trimming the score to 4-3.
Canisius responded with two insurance runs in the bottom half, while Hector Alejandro recorded a strikeout in relief in the eighth as the Pioneers ultimately fell short.
Up Next
The Pioneers return to Demske Sports Complex for game 2 against Canisius at 1 p.m. tomorrow, Saturday, May 9.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Felix Morin (4-4)
L: Matuschat, Bryan (4-7)
S: Sam Staerker (4)
Batting:
2B: Donohue, Gavin 1 ; Cook, Will 1
RBI: Donohue, Gavin 1 ; Nolan, CJ 1 ; Cook, Will 1
SH: Nolan, CJ 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Fitzgerald, JW 1 ; Donohue, Gavin 1 ; Rudolph, Will 1
SB: Donohue, Gavin 1
CS: Nolan, CJ 1
Batting:
2B: Thomas Zwirecki 1
HR: Thomas Zwirecki 1 ; Eric Weeks 1
RBI: Thomas Zwirecki 3 ; Eric Weeks 2 ; Owen Silliman 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Bennett Cox 1 ; Mason Cisco 1 ; Thomas Zwirecki 2 ; Eric Weeks 1 ; Andrew Marcello 1
SB: Tyson Kaufman 1 ; Andrew Marcello 1 ; Owen Silliman 1
HBP: Tyson Kaufman 1
