Bronx, N.Y. (April 28, 2007)?Senior Stephanie Gozdziewski provided a perfect ending to Manhattan's senior day, delivering a walk off hit in the eighth inning of game two, giving the Lady Jaspers a 7-6 win over Rider. Fellow senior Liz Pennino pitched six innings to get the win, giving up just one run and four hits. In game one, Rider scored three times in the ninth inning to pick up a 7-4 win.
After dropping a tough game one in extra innings, Manhattan wasted little time in game two, scoring four runs in the first inning off Rider starter Lauren Brunner. Gozdziewski led off the inning with a double, then later came around to score on a Danielle Just groundout. Devon Gustafson doubled in Kerry Cook for the second run, then Michelle Gutierrez, playing her final home game as well, doubled in Gustafson. Gutierrez would come around to score the fourth run of the inning after an error by Rider's first basemen with Amanda Genovese batting.
Manhattan added another run in the second, but Rider fought back, scoring runs in the third and fourth innings to make the score 5-2. In the fifth inning, a grand slam by Amber Affholter brought the Broncs all the way back and then some, giving the visitors a 6-5 lead.
In the next inning however, Genovese evened the game up with a towering solo homerun to leftfield that made the score 6-6.
Pennino and Brunner battled for the next inning and a half innings, keeping both offenses off the scoreboard. Finally in the eighth inning Manhattan broke through, getting back-to-back singles by Genovese and Liz Strein to put a runner in scoring position. On a 1-0 count, Gozdziewski hit a line drive over the leftfielder's head that scored Genovese for the winning run.
The Lady Jaspers staged a furious rally in game one, scoring three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, before falling short in the ninth.
Trailing 4-1 in the seventh, Manhattan had runners on second and third and nobody out. A sac fly by Strein scored Jaclyn Churilla from third, and then with two outs, a single by Kerry Cook plated Lyndzie Phillips to make the score 4-3. After Cook advanced to second on a passed ball, Just doubled in Cook to tie the score.
In the ninth inning, Rider scored three times off Pennino to secure the 7-4 win.
The Lady Jaspers return to the field tomorrow for another MAAC doubleheader against Iona in New Rochelle, N.Y. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
