LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. - The Manhattan College softball team brought its bats to Rider on Saturday afternoon. The Lady Jaspers (18-20-1, 4-6 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) erupted for 12 runs in the first three innings of game one, and cruised to a 12-0 victory in a contest that was called after five innings. Manhattan failed to get the big hits in game two, however. The Lady Jaspers stranded 15 runners on the base paths in a 7-5 loss to the Broncs (13-30-1, 5-7 MAAC) in the second game of the twinbill at Herb and Joan Young Field.
Manhattan scored early and often in game one. After plating one run in the top of the first, the Lady Jaspers sent 13 batters to the plate and scored seven runs in the top of the second. The rally started harmlessly enough with a walk and a hit batter, then a pair of ground balls to shortstop led to Manhattan's first run of the inning. With the bases loaded, Monica Evangelista (Cedar Grove, N.J.) ripped an RBI single to center. Melissa Donnelly (Long Beach, N.Y.) followed with a line drive single off Rider pitcher Rachael Matreale's arm. Two runs scored on the play to make it 5-0. Jaci Rahey (West Milford, N.J.) was up next, and she belted a two-run single to center field. Rahey eventually scored on Amanda Babcock's (Haverstraw, N.Y.) infield single to increase Manhattan's lead to 8-0.
The Lady Jaspers continued their onslaught in the third, as Kristina Walraven (Thompson Ridge, N.Y.) started the inning with another single off Matreale, then Evangelista reached on an error. Donnelly crushed a long home run to left field to knock in both runners. Matreale was relieved by Sam Bennett after the home run, but Bennett fared no better. The first batter she faced was Rahey, who walked. After Rahey moved to second on a wild pitch, Nicole Michel (Massapequa, N.Y.) was hit by a pitch. Manhattan scored a 12th run on the Broncs' fourth error of the game, then Bennett settled down, retiring eight in a row before a two-out single in the fifth.
Meanwhile, Donnelly was cruising in the circle for Manhattan. She lost a no-hitter on Amanda Centeno's one-out single in the fourth, as Rider collected just five hits in the game. Donnelly went the first four innings before Erika Sullivan (Bay Shore, N.Y.), returning from injury, pitched the fifth. Sullivan gave up three straight singles to load the bases before getting a double-play ball to end the game.
Nineteen of the 20 players on the Manhattan roster saw action in game one, and 16 different Lady Jaspers had at least one at-bat. Manhattan had 10 hits in the game, led by Donnelly's 3-for-5 effort. She also scored twice and drove in five. Walraven was 2-for-4 with an RBI and three runs scored, while Evangelista and Rahey also scored twice. Rahey also knocked in a pair of runs, while Babcock went 2-for-2 at the plate. In the circle, Donnelly earned the win after yielding just two hits in four innings. She struck out one and walked two. Sullivan gave up three hits and struck out one in her inning of work.
Rider's five hits in game one were spread among five different players. Matreale took the loss after giving up 11 runs (eight earned) and eight hits while striking out three and walking two in two-plus innings. Bennett pitched well after a rocky start, yielding one run on two hits with five strikeouts and a walk over the final three innings.
Early on, it looked like it would be more of the same in game two, as Walraven led off the game with a double, and she scored on Rahey's RBI single. In the top of the second, poor Rider defense resulted in another Manhattan run when Walraven lifted a fly ball to left that should've ended the inning, but left fielder Candice Harris dropped it, allowing Jocelin Whitmore (La Habra, Calif.) to score.
However, Manhattan starter Ashley Rampino (Manalapan, N.J.) got wild in the bottom of the second, allowing Rider to tie the game. Rampino retired the first two batters in short order before walking the bases loaded. The Broncs scored on a wild pitch, then tied the game on Megan Kozlowski's bunt single back to Rampino. Manhattan caught a break, though, as Kozlowski was nailed trying to stretch her hit into a double, ending the inning. Sullivan replaced Rampino in the bottom of the third, and the Broncs greeted her with back-to-back doubles to take the lead. Rider added another run on a sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly.
After leaving the bases loaded in both the third and fourth innings, the Lady Jaspers finally broke through to tie the game in the top of the fifth. Babcock started the inning with a single. She moved to second on a groundout and took third on Whitmore's single up the middle. Walraven followed with an RBI single that cut Rider's lead to one, 4-3. With Evangelista batting, Walraven broke for second and Rider catcher Sam Pugh threw down, but there was no one at second base. The throw went into center field, allowing Whitmore to score the tying run.
However, Rider immediately reclaimed the lead in the bottom half of the inning. Harris belted a leadoff home run down the left field line. Jen Steward the struck out, but she took first on a wild pitch on strike three. That extra base runner would prove costly, as Brittany Eckett followed with a two-run homer to right that made it 7-4 Rider. After going down quietly in the sixth, Manhattan put a rally together in the top of the seventh. The Lady Jaspers loaded the bases with two out, and Rahey responded with an RBI single. However, pinch hitter Carla Velasquez (Miami, Fla.) then sent a grounder to third, and Eckett stepped on third to retire Donnelly and end the game.
Manhattan outhit Rider 11-9 in game two, as Walraven led the way with a 3-for-5 effort at the plate. She also collected an RBI and scored a run. Rahey went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, while Whitmore was 2-for-4 with three runs scored from the nine-spot. Rampino went the first two innings in the circle, giving up two runs on one hit and walking three. Sullivan surrendered two runs on three hits in one inning of work, while Donnelly (3-9) took the loss after yielding three runs on five hits with two strikeouts and a walk over the final three innings.
Harris, Centeo and Ally Melia all had two hits for the Broncs, while Harris also scored two runs and had two RBIs. Eckett went 1-for-2 with three RBIs and a run scored. Matreale (8-17) showed no ill effects of her first game effort in game two, going the distance in the nightcap. She gave up five runs (three earned) on 11 hits, struck out three and walked eight to earn the win.
The Lady Jaspers are back in action on Sunday, when they visit Saint Peter's (2-30, 0-10 MAAC) for a 1 p.m. doubleheader.
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