Manhattan University Athletics

Manhattan-Colgate Box Score
Manhattan-Yale Box Score

CLEARWATER, FL – While the Northeast was dealing with a blizzard, the Manhattan College softball team was enjoying its final day in the Florida sunshine on Tuesday.  The Jaspers (7-7) wrapped up their trip with a pair of victories at Eddie Moore Field.  Manhattan earned a 7-4 win over Colgate (2-10) before Stephanie Kristo (San Jose, CA) pitched a five-hit shutout in a 3-0 triumph over Yale (1-9).

Manhattan started the day with a matchup against Colgate.  After going down in order in the first, the Jaspers put two runs on the board in the top of the second.  Lauren Pitney (Ansonia, CT) started the rally with a leadoff walk, then moved to third on Jenn Vazquez's (Fairfield, CT) single before scoring on a Stephanie Reinhardt (Albany, NY) groundout.  Kat Prevo (San Diego, CA) followed with a single to put runners on first and third for Victoria Ross (Bloomfield, NJ), who delivered an RBI single to the gap in left center.

Colgate's Jordan Miller led off the bottom of the second with a homer.  The Raiders then tied the game on Katie Bushee's RBI single.  However, the Jaspers went back in front with a pair of unearned tallies in the third.  After three straight walks loaded the bases, two runs scored on an error.  Manhattan then added three more in the fourth, with Christine Gebhardt (Middletown, NJ) ripping a two-run double before scoring on another Colgate error.

It remained that way until the bottom of the seventh, when the Raiders plated a pair of runs on a Bushee triple and a base hit by Virginia Irby.  However, Briana Matazinsky (Valley Falls, NY) got the next batter to hit into a game-ending double play, giving Manhattan a 7-4 victory.

Seven different Jaspers had hits in the game, with Gebhardt driving in two runs and scoring twice.  Matazinsky (4-3) tossed a complete game in the circle.  She gave up four runs on 10 hits, struck out three and walked two.

For Colgate, Bushee finished 3-for-3 with a run scored and two RBIs.  Miller also had two hits, including a home run, as the Raiders outhit the Jaspers 10-6.  Starting pitcher Kyle Griswold (1-2) lasted 2.2 innings and took the loss.  She surrendered four runs (two earned) on three hits with four walks and two strikeouts.  Brittany Bendel relieved her and allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits in 4.1 innings.

Against Yale, Manhattan put two on the board in the bottom of the second.  Pitney and Vazquez smoked back-to-back doubles before both coming home on a two-run single by Prevo.  The Jaspers then picked up another run on Reinhardt's RBI single in the fourth.

That proved to be plenty of offense for Kristo, who didn't allow a base runner until there was one out in the third.  Overall, she scattered five hits.  The closest that Yale came to scoring in the game was in the top of the fifth, when pinch runner Olivia Vinyard tried to score from third on Shelby Kennedy's single to left.  However, Alexa Dawid (Milford, CT) threw her out at the plate to end the inning.  The Bulldogs put a runner on with two down in the seventh, but Kristo struck out the next hitter to complete her first career shutout.

Kristo (2-1) struck out five, walked one and hit a batter in the five-hit shutout.  Offensively, Shannon Puthe (Mullica Hill, NJ) and Vazquez both had a pair of hits, while Prevo collected two RBIs.  Reinhardt drove in the other Manhattan run in the contest.

Rachel Paris doubled for Yale's only extra-base hit.  Starting pitcher Lindsay Efflandt (1-2) gave up three runs on seven hits with a pair of strikeouts in five innings.  Terra Jerpbak allowed two hits and struck out two in a scoreless sixth.