New York, N.Y. (April 25, 2007)- Manhattan won the first game of a twin bill, 5-1, at Columbia this afternoon at Andy Coakley Field to extend its winning streak to 16 games and its road win streak to 15 games, but both streaks were halted with a 5-4 loss in the nightcap. The Jaspers now stand at 24-12 on the season, while the Lions are now 16-24-1.
In the opener, Manhattan scored single runs in the third and fourth to take a 2-0 lead. Rene Ruiz belted a solo home run to left in the third, and Marc Giordano drove home Mike Garcia with a RBI sacrifice fly in the fourth.
Columbia scored its only run of the game in the bottom of the fourth, putting together three singles to score one run and make the score 2-1 after four innings.
The score remained 2-1 into the seventh, until the Jaspers put the game away with a three run inning, thanks to back-to-back doubles by Garcia (scoring Eric Nieto) and Dom Lombardi (plating Garcia and Matt Rizzotti).
Brian Pendergast (5-0) earned the win, allowing one run on four hits over five innings. Jeremy Shaw worked a perfect sixth to run to extend his consecutive no-hit appearances streak to five, spanning 11 innings of work. Tom Moran did not allow a hit in the seventh to close things out.
In the nightcap, it looked as if the Jaspers would extend both of their NCAA Division I-best streaks, taking a 4-0 lead into the fifth. The Jaspers scored a run in the second on a Ruben Perez RBI groundout, and added three more in the fourth. Ryan Masters drove in the Mike Garcia with a RBI groundout for the first run before a Columbia error brought home Perez. Kevin Nieto's dribbler was thrown away by the Lion's catcher, allowing Eric Nieto to score for a 4-0 Manhattan lead.
The Lions began their comeback in the bottom of the fifth, cutting the deficit to 4-1 on a RBI fielder's choice. A two-run single in the bottom of the sixth made the score 4-3, and Columbia completed the comeback with a two-run, game-ending home run in the bottom of the seventh.
Manhattan looks to start a new win streak this weekend, hosting Rider University at Van Cortlandt Park for a three game MAAC series. The Jaspers and Broncs will play a double header on Saturday, April 28 and a single, nine-inning game on Sunday, April 29. The first pitch on both days is slated for 12 noon.
