Box Score - Game One
Box Score - Game Two
RIVERDALE, N.Y. ? Manhattan extended the longest home win streak in the nation to 21 games as the squad cruised to an 11-4 victory over Canisius (23-18, 8-6 MAAC) in the first game of the MAAC baseball doubleheader on Saturday at Van Cortlandt Park. However, the Jaspers had its streak snapped falling 9-2 in game two, marking just their second conference loss of the year. With the split, Manhattan (27-11, 12-2 MAAC) and Canisius will square off in the rubber match on Sunday beginning at noon at Van Cortlandt Park.
For the second time this season, the Jaspers harbored an eight game win streak which was capped by their seven-run victory in game one, this was their longest winning streak of the season. Manhattan's six run sixth inning rally broke a 3-3 tie, helping junior starter Mike Gazzola win his fourth game of the season.
Gazzola pitched seven strong innings and did not allow an earned run. He yielded five hits and struck out four batters.
The Jaspers sixth inning scoring surge started when first baseman Austin Sheffield's delivered a high bouncing RBI single up the line and over the head of Golden Griffins' third baseman Kevin Mahoney to give Manhattan a 4-3 edge. Sheffield was 4-for-6 from the plate in the doubleheader and drove in three RBI, all of which came in the first contest. Earlier in the game, the sophomore from Augusta, Ga. gave the Jaspers its first lead (3-2) with a two run bomb which sailed out of left field.
Juniors Jamie Fitzgerald and Kevin Nieto drove in the next two runs of the sixth, before sophomore right fielder Mike McCann belted a three-run homer just inside the right field foul pole. The surge gave Manhattan a 9-3 lead.
McCann had four RBI in the doubleheader and Fitzgerald posted three. All three of Nieto's hits this afternoon were doubles, and he is now tied for second on the team with 14. The center fielder from Miami was a force on the base path, stealing three bases in the opening game.
Canisius added one more run in the seventh on a Jaspers' fielding error to cut its deficit to 9-4, but Gazzola was able to work his way out of the inning by striking out Golden Griffs senior Branson Joseph, and then retiring classmate Brian Gibbs. Manhattan was plagued by six errors in the ballgame.
Gazzola turned the ball over to the bullpen which was nearly flawless in the final two frames. Junior right-hander Tom Costigan worked easily through the eighth, striking out two batters. Classmate Tom Moran got Mahoney and Joseph to fly out, while also striking out Shayne Willson in the ninth to wrap up the victory.
The Jaspers tacked on two insurance runs in the eight beginning with sophomore outfielder Mark Onorati's RBI single which capped a perfect 4-for-4 performance. McCann pushed the 11th run across the plate with a sacrifice fly.
Senior second baseman Ruben Perez recorded his 15th multi-hit game of the season with a pair of hits. Perez was superb defensively in the doubleheader as he came up with several web gems, including an unassisted double play in the sixth inning of game one.
Manhattan worked Golden Griffs starter Alex MacKenzie for 10 hits and seven earned runs as he fell to 2-3 this season. The Jaspers tallied a total of 14 hits.
In game two, Canisius scored seven unanswered runs over the final five innings to break up a 2-2 tie and upend the Jaspers. Golden Griffins' lefty starter Shane Davis pitched a complete game for his sixth win of the year, while Manhattan freshman right hander Mike Giordano had his six game win streak as a starter snapped.
Nieto scored the Jaspers' first run in the bottom of the first inning on a Canisus error, after leading off the contest with a stand up double. The Golden Griffs quickly erased the deficit and took a 2-1 edge in the next frame with back-to-back doubles from Joseph and Stephen McQuail, and then a RBI single from senior shortstop Alec Cabello.
Manhattan tied the game at two in the bottom of the second with Fitzgerald's short blooper into right center field. Like Perez, Fitzgerald also had a strong day defensively, behind the plate. In the third inning he picked off Willson throwing a laser down to first base, and then in the sixth he gunned down freshman catcher Brad Medici as he tried stealing second base.
The Golden Griffs seven run rally to close the game featured two home runs from Mahoney, a solo shot in the third and two-run homer in the seventh. Mahoney was one of seven Canisius players to record two hits in the ballgame.
Sheffield and sophomore third baseman Chad Salem were the only Jaspers to record a multi-hit game. They each went 2-for-3 three in the contest.
