Manhattan University Athletics

Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

RIVERDALE, N.Y. – On Saturday afternoon, the Manhattan College softball team (25-16, 13-5 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) dropped a doubleheader to Marist (26-26, 9-9 MAAC) at Gaelic Park.  In the first game, the Jaspers suffered a 7-6 defeat in eight innings, while the Red Foxes took game two by an 8-5 count.  Despite the losses, Manhattan is still tied for first place heading into the final day of the regular season.

Marist jumped out to an early lead in game one on Rebecca Freeman's two-run homer in the top of the first.  The Jaspers immediately responded, however, putting up a two-spot of their own in the bottom half of the inning.  After Mickayla Romero (Las Vegas, Nev.) ripped a two-out single and Amanda Paxson (Cedar Grove, N.J.) reached on an infield single, Jenn Vazquez (Fairfield, Conn.) tied the game with a scorching double to right center.  It wouldn't be tied for long, though, as the Red Foxes regained the lead on Janine Lalli's solo home run in the top of the second.

A crazy sequence led to a pair of Manhattan runs that gave the Jaspers the lead in the fourth.  Sydney Weedon (North Tustin, Calif.) started the rally with a leadoff single, and Briana Matazinsky (Valley Falls, N.Y.) roped a one-out double down the left field line.  After Victoria Ross (Bloomfield, N.J.) struck out, Marist pitcher Melanie White threw a wild pitch with pinch hitter Anna Crowley (Eastchester, N.Y.) batting.  Pinch runner Madison Bailey (Phoenix, Ariz.) took off from third and the throw to the plate sailed down the first base line, allowing Matazinsky to come across with the go-ahead run.

Freeman ripped a two-out single in the top of the seventh before Amy Bright (Manlius, N.Y.) got Colleen McWilliams to hit a fly ball that looked like it would be the third out.  However, the ball was misplayed and Freeman scored on the error to tie the game.  After the Jaspers were retired in the bottom of the seventh, Marist put up three runs in the top of the eighth, as Maureen Duddy smoked an RBI double and Kyrsten Van Natta followed with a two-run triple.

Now trailing 7-4, the Jaspers rallied in the bottom of the eighth.  After a pair of walks to Weedon and Matazinsky, Andi Stallard (Katy, Texas) was called upon as a pinch hitter, and she delivered an RBI double to the gap in left center that made it 7-5.  The Marist catcher then tried to pick Matazinsky off third, but the throw went into left field, allowing another run to score.  However, the tying run would be left stranded at second, as Jayne Oberdorf struck out Romero to end the game.  The 7-6 defeat marked Manhattan's first home MAAC loss of the season.

Elena Bowman (San Mateo, Calif.) had two of Manhattan's nine hits in the game, while Vazquez drove in a pair of runs and Matazinsky scored twice.  Bright ended up with a no decision after giving up four runs (three earned) on eight hits with seven strikeouts and two walks in 6.2 innings.  Erin Hamm (Collegeville, Pa.) (1-2) took the loss.  She surrendered three runs on three hits and recorded a strikeout in 1.1 innings.

The Red Foxes collected 11 hits in game one, with Freeman, Lalli and Janna Korak all posting multi-hit efforts.  Freeman and Van Natta both drove in a pair of runs.  Melanie White earned the win after yielding six runs (four earned) on nine hits with nine strikeouts and five walks in 7.1 innings.  Oberdorf recorded one strikeout over the final 0.2 innings to pick up the save.

Between games of the twinbill, Manhattan held its Senior Day ceremonies honoring Bright, Paxson, Romero and Weedon.

Game two was scoreless until the third, when Marist took the lead on Van Natta's two-run homer.  After leaving the bases loaded in the bottom of the third, the Jaspers finally broke through in the fifth.  Romero started the inning with a double to left, and Bowman followed with the game-tying two-run blast to center.  It was her 16^th home run of the year, one behind Keira Fox's single-season program record.  Paxson then drew a walk, and she scored when Stephanie Reinhardt's (Albany, N.Y.) grounder was just out of the reach of Lalli at second, going for an RBI infield single.

However, the Red Foxes responded with a three-spot of their own in the top of the sixth, playing small ball and taking advantage of two Manhattan errors.  Marist increased its advantage to 8-3 when Gabrielle Kelliher belted a long three-run homer to left field in the top of the seventh. 

In the bottom of the seventh, Manhattan got a leadoff single from Paxson, and Vazquez followed with a single up the middle.  Weedon then roped a double to right center that brought the Jaspers within 8-5.  However, she was thrown out trying to extend it to a triple, and White retired the next two Manhattan hitters to finish off an 8-5 Marist victory and the first doubleheader sweep by any Jaspers opponent at Gaelic Park this season.

Romero finished 3-for-4 with a run scored in the final regular season home game of her career, while Bowman was 1-for-4 with a run scored and two RBIs.  Reinhardt also had a pair of hits, and Weedon drove in a pair.  Matazinsky (9-5) gave up eight runs (six earned) on 10 hits, struck out two and didn't walk a batter over seven innings.

For the Red Foxes, Van Natta, Korak and Samantha Reilly collected two hits apiece.  Van Natta also scored twice and knocked in two, while Reilly had two runs scored.  Kelliher also crossed the plate twice and drove in three.  Oberdorf started in the circle and went four-plus innings.  She allowed three runs on seven hits, walked four and struck out four.  White (15-11) earned her second win of the day in relief.  In three innings of work, she was charged with two runs and four hits, and she struck out four.

Also on Saturday, Canisius was swept in a twinbill at Monmouth and Fairfield took two at Iona.  As a result, the Jaspers, Griffs and Stags are now in a three-way tie for first place in the MAAC and the only three teams still eligible to host the conference tournament.  The regular season crown will be decided on Sunday, when Canisius visits Rider and Manhattan faces Fairfield (19-21, 13-5 MAAC) in Connecticut.