Hamden, CT - Quinnipiac swept a doubleheader from Manhattan by scores of 6-0 and 7-5 at the QU Baseball Field.
The Bobcats improve to 25-27 and 16-7 in the MAAC while the Jaspers fall to 24-30 and 15-8 in the league.
Freshman Jonathan Barditch (Miami, FL / Belen Jesuit) led the way on offense, going 3-for-5 with a walk.
Game One
RHP Tyler Poulin struck out seven over 7.0 scoreless innings in lifting Quinnipiac to a 6-0 win in the opener.
Graduate student John Cain (Middletown, NY / Lafayette) retired the first 12 batters he faced over four innings, before Quinnipiac broke the scoreless deadlock with an unearned run in the top of the fifth.
Manhattan then threatened in the top of the sixth as junior Alex Cerda (Miami, FL / Florida Christian School) was plunked with one out, before moving to third on a Matt Padre (So., Flemington, NJ / Hunterdon Central) single. Unfortunately, the Jaspers were unable to dent the score as the visitors hit into an inning-ending double play.
The Bobcats then broke the game open with four runs in the bottom part of the frame, fueled by home runs from Liam Scafariello, Brian Moskey and Evan Vulgamore.
Quinnipiac added an insurance run in the eighth in providing the final 6-0 count.
Barditch and Padre each had two hits to pace a six-hit Jasper attack.
Cain (8-4) was solid in a losing effort, striking out six while yielding five runs, four earned, on seven hits over 6.0 innings.
Anthony Cruz was 3-for-4 with a RBI to pace a Bobcat offense that rapped out nine hits.
Game Two
Manhattan battled back from a seven-run deficit to make things interesting, before dropping a 7-5 decision to Quinnipiac.
In the top of the seventh, the Jaspers brought the go-ahead run to the plate as freshman Nick Cimillo (Airmont, NY / Suffern) and classmate David Moffett (Oneida, NY / Vernon-Verona-Sherrill) each drew two-out walks. Unfortunately, RHP Andrew Workman got Padre on strikes to end the game.
The Bobcats jumped out to an early 6-0 lead after two innings in the nightcap, scoring three runs in the first before Andre Marrero hit a three-run homer in the second.
Quinnipiac added a run in the bottom of the fourth inning to push their lead out to 7-0, and appeared to be in total control.
However, the visitors had other ideas as the Manhattan bats woke up in the fifth, plating five runs while sending 10 batters to the plate.
Cerda led off with a single, before moving to second when sophomore Jake Knop (Portland, ME / Portland) was plunked. Graduate student Cam Crabbe (White Plains, NY / USF) followed with a run-scoring single through the left side to plate Cerda. Barditch then loaded up with the bases with a single and freshman Sam Franco (Bardonia, NY / Clarkstown South) was plunked to force in Knop. Graduate student Shawn Blake (Stratford, CT / Elon) followed with a two-run double to chase RHP Matthew Draper from the game, while trimming the deficit to 7-4. Junior Dominic Palma (Hilton, NY / Hilton) then delivered a one-out RBI single to score Franco while trimming the deficit to 7-5.
However, that would be it as the Jaspers stranded the tying runs on base.
Nine different Manhattan players reached base safely en route to producing six hits in the game.
Senior RHP Joe DiTorrice (Montgomery, NJ / Montgomery) yielded one hit over 2.0 scoreless innings to lead the way for the pitching unit.
Marrero was 3-for-4 with a double, home run and three RBI to pace Quinnipiac, while Matthew Draper earned the win and Workman the save.
The teams will conclude their series tomorrow at 3:30 pm.