Box Score
RIVERDALE, N.Y. - Manhattan rallied back from a four run deficit, but could not hang on to its one run lead in the bottom of the ninth as the Jaspers dropped an 11-10 decision at Sacred Heart (13-16) in non-conference baseball action Tuesday. Pioneers' senior JJ Edwards pushed across the game-winning run with a sacrifice fly in the final frame. Manhattan (16-12) was led by juniors Mark Onorati who went 3-for-4 with two RBI and Chad Salem who had five RBI and his team-leading 10th home run of the season.
Salem delivered his two-run blast in the top of the first inning, but it was quickly erased by Sacred Heart's five run second inning. Pioneers' shortstop John Murphy posted a two-run homer to right center, which capped the scoring surge. Murphy hit a perfect 5-for-5 in the ballgame.
Manhattan put two more runs on the board in the fourth inning to pull within 5-4. Freshman shortstop Nick Camastro scored on a wild pitch and junior right fielder Mike McCann knocked Alvin Mata in with an infield grounder.
In the bottom of the fourth, Sacred Heart worked two more runs off Jaspers' freshman starting pitcher Mike Gonzalez on senior catcher Jeff Heppner's two-run blast, which exited left field to go ahead 7-4. The Pioneers' recorded 10 of their 20 hits off Gonzalez.
Salem gave Manhattan another lift in the sixth inning with a two-run double down the left field line. Then after yielding one run in the seventh, the Jaspers pieced together a three run eighth inning, which featured Onorati's RBI double to start off the scoring. It was the team-leading 13th double of the season for the local product from Williston Park, N.Y. Onorati later scored the game-tying run (9-9) with Salem's infield grounder representing his fifth RBI of the day.
Jaspers' freshman pitcher John Soldinger completed a solid middle relief outing by retiring three of four batters faced in the eighth to send the game into the final inning locked at nine. Soldinger threw four innings, allowed just one earned run and notched two strikeouts.
In the top of the ninth, Onorati gave Manhattan its first lead since the opening frame when he sent freshman Kyle Murphy across the plate with a one-out sac fly to take a 10-9 advantage. Senior reliever Tom Moran took the hill for Manhattan in the bottom of the ninth. Moran was touched up for three straight singles, with the last one coming from Pioneers' reserve Rocco Gondek whose RBI tied the game at 10-10. Two batters later Edwards skied the game-winning sacrifice fly to centerfield for the walk-off win.
Pioneers junior right-hander Carl Brooks received his first win of the season after recording the final two outs of the Jaspers' ninth inning. Moran dropped to 1-1 on the year.
Manhattan returns to Connecticut on Saturday when the Jaspers visit Fairfield. The MAAC doubleheader will begin at 12 p.m.
