In any sport, Canisius versus St. Joe's games are always enhanced by rivalry and excellent play, and Monday night's baseball game did not disappoint. In an extra inning thriller, the Crusaders topped the Marauders 9-8.
The matchup started in back-and-forth fashion. The opponents traded runs, and St. Joe's eventually landed on top, possessing a 4-2 advantage in the fifth inning. In the bottom of the inning, Canisius' bats started to heat up once again. In the middle of a bases loaded rally, Justin Hodil '21 got a flyball to fall into left field for a two-run single, tying the game.

The squad was energized after the rally, but the Marauders were not finished on offense. In the sixth inning, they loaded the bases and scored a runner with a walk. Then in the top of the seventh inning, they repeated their bases loaded rally, scoring two runs this time. St. Joe's could have done more damage, but Will Enright '22 took the mound and got three outs after being called from the bullpen. Despite the late defensive push, Canisius still trailed 7-4 going into the bottom of the seventh.

In the final frame of regulation, the Crusaders sparked an intense rally. After Jake LaDuca '21 was hit by a pitch and advanced to second base, Blaise Kolbert '22 scored him with a single, cutting the deficit to two runs. Two batters later, Hodil came through in another clutch moment. He blasted a ball to right-center field and rounded the bases for a two-run triple and error, tying the contest to force extra innings.

In the eight inning, St. Joe's was able to take the lead once again after an RBI single barely flew past Kolbert's glove at second base. Just like the previous inning, the Crusaders remained composed in the high-pressure situation. Gavin D'Amico '22 lead off the inning by reaching second base on an error. Then, Drew Podlas '22 laid down a perfectly placed bunt and eventually stole second base. Next, another junior delivered a crucial at-bat, as Victor Mazzara '22 hit a sacrifice fly to center field to bring in the game-tying run and advance Podlas to third base. At that point, Canisius possessed all of the momentum in the game, and two intentional walks fueled the fire. To finish off a hard-fought victory for the team, Kolbert stepped up to the batter's box and lined a single past the second baseman for the game-winning hit.

Leading the Crusader offense, Hodil was 3-4 with four RBI. As arguably the hottest hitter on the team, Kolbert ended 2-4 with two RBI. On the mound, Ryan Lynch '21 earned the win after recording three outs in the eighth inning. The list of contributors on both offense and defense is endless, as the entire team contributed to the comeback effort.

Coach Santonocito said that he took the Canisius coaching job for the energy and passion of high school baseball, and that is exactly what he, the team, and the fans experienced on Monday night. Another Canisius versus St. Joe's game is in the books, as they split the season series at 1-1. The two teams are likely to meet again in the playoffs, and it should be a series for the ages.