Box Score - Game One
Box Score - Game Two
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NCAA.com - Manhattan Baseball Feature
RIVERDALE, N.Y. - The Manhattan baseball team put the finishing touches on another landmark regular-season with a doubleheader sweep at Iona on Saturday. With 5-4 and 7-1 victories over the Gaels at Salesian Field, the Jaspers reached the 30-win plateau for the sixth straight year under head coach Kevin Leighton, they won their 20th MAAC contest and finished with the highest conference win percentage in program history (.909). Manhattan enters the 2011 MAAC Tournament next week as the top-seed after compiling a 31-17 overall ledger and 20-2 league mark.
Jaspers' senior third baseman Chad Salem had two doubles, launched his team leading ninth home run and recorded his 50th RBI of the season in the doubleheader. Sophomore designated hitter Kyle Murphy hit .600 (3-for-5) with four runs scored, two RBI and he smashed his third homer of the season over two starts against the Gaels.
In game one, Manhattan sophomore pitcher Eric Luksis won his seventh consecutive MAAC start to stay undefeated in conference by helping the Jaspers to a 5-4 triumph. Luksis struck out four batters over a limited five innings of work, before turning the ball over to freshman Scott McClennan who earned the two inning save.
Manhattan had to rally back from a 2-1 deficit by scoring four runs over the fifth and sixth innings to punch its 30th victory. Salem put the Jaspers on the scoreboard in the top of the first inning when he scored on a fielding error after doubling in his first at bat of the day. Iona evened the game in the bottom of the first with junior first baseman Michael Chiaravallot's RBI single, and then the Gaels took a one run advantage in the third inning on junior third baseman Chris Burke's RBI single.
The Jaspers touched up Iona starting pitcher Justin Wiley for two of his four earned runs in the fifth inning when Salem sent a two-run homer over the left field fence. Then in the sixth inning, Murphy sent Manhattan ahead 5-2 with another two-run blast to left field.
McClennan struck out the first two outs in the final frame of the seven inning affair, but Iona wouldn't go down without a late comeback surge. The Gaels scored a pair of runs on RBI singles from Nick Rossetti and Anthony Muccio to make it a one run game, but McClennan zeroed in with the next batter to force a game ending ground out.
In game two, the Jaspers rallied behind freshman infielder Chris Kalousdian who hit 2-for-2 off the bench and drove in three runs to help lift Manhattan to a 7-1 victory. Jaspers' junior starter Mike Giordano was solid as usual pitching seven innings with two strike outs and allowing only one walk. Giordano finished the regular-season with a perfect 5-0 record in the MAAC and a team leading 0.92 ERA in conference games.
Manhattan jumped out to a two run lead and then used a three run sixth inning to pull away from the Gaels. Jaspers' senior first baseman Austin Sheffield drove in the first run with his ninth double of the year in the first inning. In the second inning, senior outfielder Mark Onorati delivered the sacrifice fly which allowed Murphy to score the Jaspers second run.
Iona worked its only run off of Giordano in the second inning when right fielder Joe Smith posted a RBI double to bring the Gaels within 2-1. Smith finished 3-for-4 from the plate.
Jaspers' sophomore outfielder Joe Rock opened Manhattan's lead to 3-1 with an infield RBI single in the fourth inning. Manhattan then tacked on three more runs to its total in the sixth inning when freshman Andrew Gorecki posted a RBI single and Kalousdian knocked in the next two runs with a single through the right side. Kalousdian drove in Manhattan's seventh run with another RBI single in the eighth inning.
Manhattan will gear up for its MAAC Tournament Opening Round contest with fourth-seeded Canisius on Thursday at 3 p.m. in Trenton, N.J. The championships are held at Waterfront Park home of the New York Yankees Class AA affiliate Trenton Thunder.
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