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Box Score 2
Easton, PA - Manhattan softball snapped an 11-game losing streak Wednesday, April 18, splitting with Lafayette in a non-conference match-up in Easton, PA. The Jaspers (15-21, 0-8 MAAC) defeated the Leopards 7-3 in game one of the doubleheader, while falling to Lafayette (7-32, 3-9 Patriot League) 6-1 in the the second.
Freshman
Adriana Gambino (Stamford, CT / Westhill) went 5-6 over the two games, recording two doubles. Junior
Lauren Pitney (Ansonia, CT / St. Joseph's), currently leading the Jaspers in nine offensive categories, including hits (38), runs scored (29), and RBIs (19), went 4-8 on the day, with three doubles and an RBI.
That offensive prowess was on-hand in game one vs. Lafayette, as Manhattan tallied 15 hits on their way to seven runs. The Jaspers went up 3-0 in the first inning, while adding to their total in the second when an error at second base helped both Pitney and
Christine Gebhardt (Middletown North, Middletown, NJ) score, giving Manhattan a 5-0 advantage.
Starting pitcher
Briana Matazinsky (Valley Falls, NY / Tamarac) held the Leopards scoreless until the fourth, when Lafayette's Miranda Skurla's single to left center scored Maddie Wensel, who had been hit by a pitch. Lafayette gained two more runs in the bottom of the fifth on a Wensel single down the left field line.
Up 5-3 in the sixth,
Kayla McDermott (Garnerville, NY / North Rockland) came to the mound in relief for Manhattan. Over the next two innings, she let up no runs on no hits while striking out one of six batters faced. At bat, her teammates returned the favor, building on the Jaspers' lead in the top of the seventh, when
Victoria Ross (Bloomfield, NJ / Bloomfield) drove in a run on a single to left center. Junior
Dominique Palagruto (Sewell, NJ / Washington Township) then put the game away with a sac fly to center field, scoring Gambino.
Matazinsky earned the 7-3 win, putting her at 6-8 overall this season. McDermott earned the save, her first of the season.
The script was flipped in game two, as Lafayette broke out to the early lead, going up 5-0 by the third inning. On the mound for Lafayette, Alexis Randall proved hard to hit for Manhattan, giving up just six in seven innings.
The Jaspers were also unable to take advantage of a few scoring opportunities, with
Shannon Puthe (Mullica Hill, NJ / Saint Joseph's) and Gambino both called out at home in the top of the fourth. But in the same inning, Pitney singled to the shortstop, driving in a run and putting Manhattan on the board 5-1.
It would be the only run the Jaspers would earn in the game, with Lafayette taking the win 6-1. Starting pitcher
Nicole Williams (Ansonia, CT / St. Joseph's) went 2.1 innings, giving up six hits and five runs while striking out two. She falls to 5-8 on the season. McDermott came in again in relief, going 3.2 innings and letting up just one run on five hits and also striking out two.
Up Next:
Manhattan returns home on Saturday, April 21 in a doubleheader against Niagara at 12 p.m. at Gaelic Park.
