BUFFALO, N.Y. (Interstat) — The Canisius Golden Griffins look to complete a three-game sweep of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference series against the Sacred Heart Pioneers on Sunday afternoon at Demske Sports Complex, with first pitch scheduled under cloudy skies and a temperature of 61 degrees.

Canisius (18-23) has taken the first two games of the weekend, winning 6-3 on Friday and 5-3 on Saturday. The Golden Griffins enter Sunday’s contest riding a four-game winning streak overall and have won six of their last eight.

Sacred Heart (13-27) has dropped four consecutive games and seven of its last nine. The Pioneers are seeking their first series win since taking two of three from Merrimack on April 17-19.

Pitchers to watch

Right-hander Ryan Parker is expected to start for Sacred Heart. In Saturday’s 5-3 loss to Canisius, Parker tossed seven innings, allowing three earned runs on zero hits with six strikeouts (Interstat) — an unusual line that included three walks and several unearned runs. Over his last four starts, Parker has a 3.42 ERA with 12 strikeouts in 26.1 innings. He threw a complete-game, six-inning win against Marist on May 2, allowing one run on zero hits.

For Canisius, left-hander Noah Albano has been dominant out of the bullpen. In Saturday’s win, Albano pitched 2.1 perfect innings with two strikeouts to earn the victory. He has not allowed an earned run in his last 10.2 innings across four appearances, dating back to April 17 against Quinnipiac. In that span, he has struck out nine batters while allowing only four hits. Albano has not surrendered a run in 10 of his 11 outings this season.

Series trends

The Golden Griffins have outscored the Pioneers 11-6 in the first two games. Sacred Heart’s offense has struggled, scoring three runs or fewer in four of its last five contests. In Saturday’s loss, Will Rudolph homered and drove in a run, going 2-for-4. Christian Trantino recorded 0.1 inning of scoreless relief.

Canisius has relied on a balanced attack. Joe LoPinto earned the win Friday with 5.1 innings of three-run ball, and Weston Elkovitch closed with 1.1 hitless innings Saturday.

Looking ahead

The Interstat game simulator projects a 6-3 Canisius victory Sunday.

Sacred Heart returns home Thursday to host Fairfield for a three-game series. Canisius welcomes Siena for a three-game set beginning Wednesday.

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