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RIVERDALE, N.Y. - What a way to go out. With her team trailing 13-12 in the bottom of the seventh inning of her final home game in a Manhattan uniform, senior Nicole Michel (Massapequa, N.Y.) launched a two-run, walk-off home run to center field that gave the Lady Jaspers (23-21, 10-4 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) a thrilling 14-13 victory over Saint Peter's (2-34, 1-13 MAAC) in the second game of a doubleheader at Gaelic Park on Saturday afternoon. That win, combined with the Lady Jaspers' 9-0 triumph in game one, secured Manhattan's place in next weekend's MAAC Championships.
"I've been in a huge slump," Michel said. "I knew I had to do something big, and it's never felt better."
Michel's blast, her second of the game, ended a wacky contest that featured 27 runs, including four long balls, 27 hits, and five lead changes. Saint Peter's scored a couple of runs on a Manhattan throwing error in the top of the first, but the Lady Jaspers responded with a four-spot in the bottom half of the inning. After a Saint Peter's error and back-to-back singles by Jaci Rahey (West Milford, N.J.) and Ashley Rampino (Manalapan, N.J.) loaded the bases, Michel crushed a grand slam to left field that gave Manhattan a 4-2 advantage.
However, the Peahens immediately countered with eight runs in the top of the second. The big blow in the inning was Vanessa Acosta's three-run homer to left field. Now trailing 10-4, the Lady Jaspers began to chip away with three in the bottom of the second. With one out, Kristina Walraven (Thompson Ridge, N.Y.) ripped a solo home run to center field, then Melissa Donnelly (Long Beach, N.Y.) stroked a two-run double that pulled the Lady Jaspers within 10-7. Manhattan added two more in the third on an RBI single by Monica Evangelista (Cedar Grove, N.J.) and a sacrifice fly by Kate Bowen (Newtown, Conn.).
The Lady Jaspers then scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth to take the lead. Evangelista got the rally started with a one-out single, and she moved to third on a Rahey double. Bowen then knocked in both runners with a single up the middle. Donnelly followed with a double that was just fair down the right field line, driving in Bowen and giving the Lady Jaspers a 12-10 lead.
That lead would be short-lived, however, as the Peahens struck right back on Kristen Kaneyuki's two-run single in the top of the sixth. Saint Peter's then took the lead with an unearned tally in the top of the seventh.
Rahey singled leading off the bottom of the seventh, her third hit of the game. She was then replaced by pinch runner Amanda Berrios (Carteret, N.J.). However, Berrios was erased when Bowen's line drive that looked ticketed for right field was snagged by Saint Peter's second baseman Ashley Brown, who threw to first to complete the double play. The Lady Jaspers stayed alive on Donnelly's a single through the left side, which set the stage for Michel's heroics.
"We kept fighting to the end, which was good," Head Coach Tom Pardalis said. "We could've just packed our bags after we went down 10-4, but we fought our way back and got the job done."
All eight seniors, who were honored between games, started game two for Manhattan. Three of the seniors had three hits. Michel went 3-for-4 with the two home runs and six RBIs, while Donnelly was 3-for-5 with two runs scored and three RBIs. Rahey reached base all five times she came up, going 3-for-3 with two walks. She also scored three runs. Jen Keller (Woodridge, N.J.) went 3-for-4 at the plate, and Bowen, who came in to pitch in the second inning, ended up 2-for-3 with a pair of runs and three RBIs. After Rampino started, Bowen went five innings in the circle, yielding five runs on five hits and striking out five. Erika Sullivan (Bay Shore, N.Y.) (10-7) earned the win after giving up two hits and an unearned run in the seventh.
Stephanie Gilronan and Alexis Gallagher both had two hits and scored three runs for the Peahens. Acosta was 1-for-3 with three RBIs, and she scored twice in the second inning. Erica Colon (0-13) went the distance in the circle and took the loss.
In game one, the Lady Jaspers scored all nine of their runs in the first inning, when they sent 14 batters to the plate. After Walraven grounded out, Evangelista reached on an error. Rahey then belted a long, two-run home run to right field that gave Manhattan a 2-0 lead. The Lady Jaspers loaded the bases on a pair of singles and a walk to Amanda Babcock (Haverstraw, N.Y.), and Keller then delivered a grand slam to left field that made it 6-0. But Manhattan still wasn't done. Sullivan reached on an error and Walraven walked, which brought up Evangelista for the second time in the inning. She responded with a shot to center field that increased the Lady Jaspers' advantage to 9-0 and chased Saint Peter's starter Shelby Beaver. The three-run blast was Evangelista's first career home run.
That was more runs than Donnelly (3-4) needed. She allowed just one hit, and Saint Peter's put only three runners on base in the game. Donnelly struck out four and walked one. All of the Manhattan offense came on the three home runs, as the Lady Jaspers were held to five hits. Saint Peter's committed three errors in game one, which resulted in eight of the nine Manhattan runs being unearned.
Beaver (2-18) was charged with all nine runs, only one of which was earned, and five hits. She struck out one and walked two in 0.2 innings of work. Colon didn't allow a hit in 3.1 innings of scoreless relief. She was credited with a pair of strikeouts and issued two walks.
Manhattan concludes the regular season with a doubleheader at defending MAAC champion Iona (27-17, 11-3 MAAC) on Sunday at 1 p.m. Both the Lady Jaspers and Gaels have already qualified for the MAAC Tournament.
"I really didn't want to go into tomorrow (needing to win to clinch a playoff spot)," Pardalis said. "Anything that happens from here on out is gravy."
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