RIVERDALE, N.Y. - After splitting its final doubleheader of the regular season on Saturday afternoon, the Manhattan College softball team must now sit and wait to see if it will be included in next weekend's four-team Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Tournament. Manhattan (25-21-1, 9-7 MAAC) recorded a 7-5 victory over Fairfield in game one of the twinbill at Gaelic Park, but the Stags (24-20, 8-6 MAAC) won the second game, 5-2, to prevent the Lady Jaspers from clinching a place on Saturday. Manhattan will now be rooting for Rider (14-31-1, 6-8 MAAC) to pick up at least one win in its doubleheader at Fairfield on Sunday. If that happens, the Lady Jaspers will earn a return trip to the MAAC Tournament.
Knowing that they needed at least a split to keep their playoff chances alive, the Lady Jaspers didn't take any chances in game one. Nicole Michel (Massapequa, N.Y.) crushed her eighth home run of the season leading off the bottom of the second, and Manhattan added another run in the inning on an RBI double by Carla Velasquez (Miami, Fla.). Manhattan made it 4-0 in the bottom of the third when Jaci Rahey (West Milford, N.J.) crushed a long two-run home run to center field. After Michel doubled, Amanda Babcock (Haverstraw, N.Y.) and Melissa Cascio (Kings Park, N.Y.) both drew walks to load the bases with one out, but Fairfield retired Michel coming home on a grounder to third, then Erika Sullivan (Bay Shore, N.Y.) lined out to end the inning.
Sullivan had retired the first 10 Stags she faced until Kristie Trifiolis belted a one-out homer to center in the top of the fourth. After singles by Meghan Borst and Kristina Lingo, Allie Ritacco lifted a sacrifice fly to center that made it a 4-2 game. However, Manhattan got those two runs back in the bottom half of the inning. Kristina Walraven (Thompson Ridge, N.Y.) started the inning with a home run to left field, then walks to Melissa Donnelly (Long Beach, N.Y.) and Rahey chased Fairfield starter Sarah Minice. Emily Orr came in and struck out Michel, then Babcock sent a grounder to third that looked like it would end the inning. However, Ali Wigand's throw was off the mark, and Donnelly scored from second on the error.
Trifiolis knocked an RBI single to cut Fairfield's deficit to 6-3 in the top of the fifth. In the bottom of the sixth, Rahey slammed her second home run of the game, a solo shot to straightaway center. The homer was Rahey's 10th of the season, making her just the second player in program history to hit double-digit home runs in one season.
The Stags refused to go down quietly, however, as Fairfield rallied for two runs in the top of the seventh. After Dani Griswold walked and Trifiolis singled, Borst ripped an RBI single that was just fair down the left field line. Donnelly then moved into the circle to replace Ashley Rampino (Manalapan, N.J.), and she struck out Lingo. Back-to-back walks led to another Fairfield run before Donnelly struck out Kayla Marth to wrap up a 7-5 Lady Jaspers victory.
Rahey, Michel and Babcock all had two hits in game one, as Rahey went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and three RBIs. Overall, the Lady Jaspers outhit the Stags 8-6 in game one. Sullivan (12-5) earned the win after tossing five innings and allowing three runs on four hits, striking out one and walking two. Donnelly pitched the sixth, then moved back into the circle with one out in the seventh to earn her second save of the season. She didn't give up a hit, struck out four and walked for in 1.2 innings. Rampino tossed 0.1 innings and surrendered two runs on two hits with a walk and a strikeout.
Trifiolis went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs for the Stags. Borst was 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI in game one. Minice (14-13) took the loss after giving up six runs (four earned) on six hits, striking out three and walking five in 3.1 innings. Orr pitched the final 2.2 innings, surrendering one run on two hits and striking out one.
It was Fairfield that faced the must-win in game two, and the Stags responded by putting five runs on the board in the first three innings. The Stags played small ball to steal a run in the top of the first, as Lingo perfectly executed a squeeze bunt to knock in Trifiolis from third. Trifiolis was at the heart of another Fairfield rally in the top of the second, belting a three-run homer to left that made it 4-0. The Stags then notched an unearned run in the third with Ritacco scored on an error.
Walraven singled to start a Manhattan rally in the bottom of the third, then a walk to Monica Evangelista (Cedar Grove, N.J.) and an infield single by Donnelly loaded the bases with nobody out for Rahey. She responded with a single to left, giving her 57 RBIs on the season, the second-highest mark in Manhattan history. However, that's all the Lady Jaspers would get, as the Stags recorded the first out when Michel forced Evangelista at home, then Fairfield starter Kelli Panter notched consecutive strikeouts to end the threat.
Donnelly settled down after a shaky start, holding Fairfield scoreless on just three hits over the final four innings. However, the Manhattan offense wasn't able to get to Panter until the bottom of the seventh. Evangelista started the inning with a double to right, and she scored on Donnelly's RBI double to left. She was left standing at second base, though, as Rahey and Michel flied out, then Babcock popped back to the circle to end the game, a 5-2 Fairfield victory.
Walraven went 3-for-4 with a run scored in game two, while Donnelly was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Donnelly (7-10) also went the distance in the circle and took the loss. She gave up five runs (four earned) on nine hits, struck out six and walked four.
For Fairfield, Trifiolis went 3-for-3 with two runs scored and three RBIs from the leadoff spot. Griswold was 2-for-3 at the plate, as the Stags outhit the Lady Jaspers 9-8. Panter (8-7) yielded two runs on eight hits while striking out seven and walking four over seven innings.
Prior to the start of the doubleheader on Saturday, the Lady Jaspers honored senior Kaitlin Rodriguez (Dumont, N.J.) for her years of service to the Manhattan softball program.
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