Manhattan University Athletics

Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY – After a week of weather-related postponements, the Manhattan College softball team finally returned to action on Sunday with a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) doubleheader at Marist.  The Jaspers (15-9, 3-1 MAAC) rallied from a 3-0 deficit to post an eight-inning, 4-3 victory in the opener before the Red Foxes (24-8, 3-1 MAAC) notched a 10-5 triumph in game two at Gartland Field.

Marist scored an unearned run in the second inning of game one, then extended its advantage to 3-0 on a two-run single by Colleen McWilliams in the third.  The Jaspers cut their deficit to 3-2 in the top of the fourth when Elena Bowman (San Mateo, CA) drew a leadoff walk and Jenn Vazquez (Fairfield, CT) followed with a two-run homer to center.

It remained 3-2 until the seventh.  Stephanie Reinhardt (Albany, NY) led off the inning with a walk, and pinch runner Madison Bailey (Phoenix, AZ) moved to second on a wild pitch.  Bailey went to third on Rachael Mumma's (Mechanicsburg, PA) grounder to short before scoring the tying run on Shannon Puthe's (Mullica Hill, NJ) single to center.  Marist then called on relief pitcher Jessica Van Alphen, who got the Red Foxes out of the inning with a pair of strikeouts.

In the bottom of the seventh, Marist's Kyrsten Van Natta drew a leadoff walk, but was erased at second when Victoria Ross (Bloomfield, NJ) went for the lead runner on a bunt to third.  After a two-out walk to McWilliams, Briana Matazinsky (Valley Falls, NY) got Gabrielle Kelliher looking to send the contest into extra innings. 

Manhattan then took its first lead of the game when Bowman led off the eighth with a solo homer to left.  That was all the run support Matazinsky needed.  She struck out two Red Foxes in the bottom of the eighth to seal the 4-3 victory and snap Marist's 10-game winning streak. 

Matazinsky (4-4) tossed an eight-inning complete game, surrendering three runs (two earned) on 10 hits while striking out six and walking three.  The Jaspers had just five hits in the game, singles Ross, Puthe and Emily Cutler (Bloomingdale, NJ), and the homers by Bowman and Vazquez.

Maureen Duddy, Claire Oberdorf and McWilliams all had two hits for the Red Foxes.  McWilliams also drove in a pair of runs.  Starting pitcher Jayne Oberdorf was charged with three runs on four hits in 6.1 innings.  She also struck out five and walked two.  Van Alphen took the loss after yielding one run on one hit with five strikeouts and a walk in 1.2 innings.

An RBI double by Reinhardt in the first inning of game two gave the Jaspers an early 1-0 lead, but Marist countered with a run in the bottom half of the inning.  The Red Foxes then scored four times in the second to go up 5-1.

Reinhardt drew a leadoff walk in the top of the fifth and Ross followed with a single.  After Mumma reached on an error to load the bases, Puthe sent a grounder towards second.  Instead of taking the out at first, Marist tried to get Reinhardt at home, but she slid in just ahead of the throw to pull the Jaspers within 5-2.  Cutler then lifted a sacrifice fly to center that made it 5-3.  With two down, the Red Foxes intentionally walked Bowman to load the bases for Vazquez.  The move didn't pay off though, as Vazquez and Matazinsky both drew bases loaded walks, tying the game at 5-5 before Reinhardt struck out to end the inning.

However, the Red Foxes responded with a four-spot of their own in the bottom of the fifth.  After Marist loaded the bases with one out, Duddy and Claire Oberdorf each delivered two-run singles.  The Red Foxes added an unearned tally in the bottom of the sixth to take a 10-5 advantage.  Manhattan loaded the bases with one out in the top of the seventh, but Reinhardt struck out and Ross flied to right to end the contest, as the Jaspers and Red Foxes split their doubleheader for the first time since 2013.

The Jaspers had 10 hits in game two, with Ross finishing 3-for-4 with a run scored.  Vazquez and Matazinsky each went 2-for-4 with an RBI, while Bowman walked five times in the game.  Starting pitcher Stephanie Kristo (San Jose, CA) lasted 1.1 innings in the circle.  She allowed four runs on three hits, walked three and struck out one.  Danielle Gabriel (Island Heights, NJ) (2-2) took the loss after surrendering four runs on four hits and three walks in three-plus innings.  Erin Hamm (Collegeville, PA) tossed the final 1.2 innings, yielding two runs (one earned) on four hits while striking out one.

Claire Oberdorf, who had two hits in the first game, went 2-for-3 with a run scored and three RBIs in game two.  Duddy finished 2-for-3 with three runs scored and two RBIs, while Casey Page ended up 2-for-4 with two runs.  Megan Beiermeister started in the circle and pitched 4.2 innings.  She gave up five runs (three earned) on seven hits, while striking out three and walking eight.  Van Alphen (8-2), the losing pitcher in the opener, earned the win in game two.  She struck out three and walked two in 2.1 innings of three-hit scoreless relief.