BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Fairfield University Baseball team drew 14 walks, but batted 2-for-16 with runners on and stranded 12 runners as the Stags dropped a 5-3 decision at Canisius in their first game of the 2018 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) slate.
 
Fairfield (5-12, 0-1 MAAC) had one last rally in the top of the ninth inning when Dan Ryan double home Kevin Radziewicz with two outs, but Canisius' (12-7, 1-0 MAAC) centerfielder Jake Burlingame threw out Ryan at second as he slid past the bag to end the threat and the game.
 
With the 14 walks, the Stags had plenty of chances in the game and loaded the bases in the second, fourth, and seventh innings. Both of Fairfield's two early runs came in these situations when Tom Ryan forced in a run with a bases loaded walk in the second and Jack Gethings brought a run home with a walk in the fourth.
 
Besides the walks, Fairfield could not take advantage of the chances as they tallied just one hit through the first seven innings on a Mitch Williams single in the second. Eric Cerno would snap that streak with a line drive base hit in the eighth until Fairfield mounted two doubles in the ninth.
 
In his first career conference start, Trey McLoughlin was solid, allowing three runs in his five innings, two of those came in the first frame. Canice Ejoh began the scoring with a RBI groundout and Stephen Bennett gave the Griffs a 2-0 lead with a RBI single later on in the stanza.
 
The Stags fought back to tie the game at 2-2 in the fourth, but Canisius answered in the bottom half of the frame when Joseph Preziuso singled home a run.
 
That would be the last scoring for the Stags until the ninth when Radziewicz and Ryan both doubled to bring home Fairfield's third run.
 
Gethings improved his team-leading on-base-percentage to .494 with three walks, tying leadoff hitter Tim Zeng for the team lead in the game.
 
The Stags and the Griffs will finish up their series with a doubleheader on Sunday with the first game starting at 11am.