BUFFALO, NY- Monmouth baseball scored 17 runs in the opening game of the series at Canisius Saturday en route to a weekend-opening victory, eventually splitting a doubleheader in Buffalo with the Golden Griffins Saturday.

MU posted an eight-run second inning, totaling seven hits in the frame to jump to an early lead. Clay Koniencki (Schwenksville, PA/Malvern Prep) had an RBI triple and Shaine Hughes (Sewell, NJ/Washington Township) drove in two with a base hit before Pete Papcun (Brick, NJ/Christian Brothers Academy) homered to the opposite field, his second extra base hit of the inning.

After plating a run in both the third and fourth innings, MU busted out for another seven in the fifth. Danny Long (Sellersville, PA/Pennridge) hit a two-run double and later in the inning, Papcun stayed hot by clearing the bases with a double. MU led 17-0 after five, and Jordan McCrum (Dallas, PA/Dallas Senior) did not allow a hit until the fifth. The Griffs scored twice in that inning, and a Ryan Skekl sixth-inning grand slam made it 17-6, the eventual final.

Stekl got the scoring started with an RBI single in the second game, but Chris Gaetano (Madison Township, PA/Scranton Preparatory) tied it in the next half inning with a solo home run. Canisius took two more leads, with MU answering each time in the next half inning.

Down to their final at bat trailing 3-2, Monmouth got a game-tying home run from Ryan Crowley (Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY/Iona Preparatory) in the seventh to knot it at three. Canisius loaded the bases with two outs in the last of the seventh and scored the winning run on a fielder's choice.

NOTES AND QUOTES
On the first game of the doubleheader
"The bats were alive. We scored early and it enabled us to relax some." – head coach Dean Ehehalt

On the second game
"We really battled and couldn't get that big hit. Their pitcher kept us off balance for a large part of the game.  We need to learn from our mistakes and come back ready to play. Kyle Ajjan really pitched well." – Coach Ehehalt

-Pete Papcun drove in six runs in a game for the second time this year.
-MU has homered in six consecutive games.
-Nine different Hawks have hit home runs this season, with Gaetano tying for the team lead today with Shea and Jakubowski..
-Ryan Crowley has had multiple hits in three games in a row, and collected his first ever three-hit game today, including a game-tying home run.
-Crowley and Long were the only Hawks with multiple hits in both games.

NUMBERS CRUNCH
-Monmouth scored 17 runs in a MAAC series opener for the second consecutive weekend.
-The Hawks also opened a MAAC series with 16 hits for the second weekend in a row.
-Ryan Lillie fired 3.1 hitless innings, striking out four in the opener.
-Papcun notched his first career four-hit game.
-Danny Long had his second career three-hit and three-RBI game, and first since opening weekend at FAU.
-Jordan McCrum earned his team-leading third win.

UP NEXT
-MU and Canisius wrap up the weekend set tomorrow at noon in Buffalo, NY.