Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score
LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. - After dropping the first game by a 2-1 count, the Manhattan College softball team's offense came to life in the second game of a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) doubleheader at Siena on Saturday afternoon. The Lady Jaspers (16-18-1, 3-5 MAAC) built an 8-0 lead en route to a 10-1 victory over the Saints (9-32, 2-6 MAAC) at Siena Field.
The Lady Jaspers quickly jumped in front with a pair of runs in the top of the first. After singles by Monica Evangelista (Cedar Grove, N.J.) and Melissa Donnelly (Long Beach, N.Y.), Jaci Rahey (West Milford, N.J.) drew a walk to load the bases. Nicole Michel (Massapequa, N.Y.) followed with a two-run single to left.
Manhattan tacked on four more runs in the top of the second. Kristina Walraven (Thompson Ridge, N.Y.) lifted a one-out double, then moved to third on a passed ball. After Evangelista walked, Walraven came home on Donnelly's RBI single. Rahey was up next, and she belted a three-run home run that gave the Lady Jaspers a 6-0 lead. A pair of Siena errors then led to two more Manhattan runs in the top of the third.
That was more than enough offense for starting pitcher Ashley Rampino (Manalapan, N.J.), who was cruising in the circle. Rampino gave up just three hits in the game, including two in the bottom of the third, when Siena scored its only run. The Lady Jaspers gave Rampino more support with a two-spot in the top of the fifth. Amanda Babcock (Haverstraw, N.Y.) and Walraven started the inning with back-to-back singles. They moved up on a sacrifice bunt, and Babcock scored on a wild pitch. Walraven then came across on Michel's RBI single. Rampino retired the Saints in order after a leadoff walk in the bottom of the fifth, and the game was called at that point because of the eight-run rule.
Manhattan pounded out 10 hits in game two, with Walraven, Donnelly and Michel all going 2-for-4 at the plate. Walraven scored three runs, while Donnelly and Evangelista both crossed the plate twice in game two. Rahey and Michel each tallied three RBIs. Rampino (4-6) threw a five-inning complete game. She gave up one run on three hits, struck out four and walked four.
The Saints were held to just three hits in the second game. Natasha Powlowsky went 1-for-1 and scored Siena's only run. Courtney Brinkman (5-6) got the start in the circle and took the loss. She lasted three innings, yielding eight runs (six earned) on seven hits with two strikeouts and four walks. Amanda Filippazzo finished up, surrendering two runs on three hits and walking two over the final two innings.
Game one was a pitcher's duel between Donnelly and Filippazzo. The two matched zeroes until the fifth, when Manhattan got to Filippazzo. Meghan McDevitt (Nutley, N.J.) started the rally with a one-out walk. Kaitlin Rodriguez (Dumont, N.J.) came in to run for McDevitt, and she promptly stole second. After Walraven walked, an Evangelista single loaded the bases. Donnelly lined out for the second out, but Rahey put the Lady Jaspers in front with an RBI single. The rally ended, however, when Walraven was thrown out at home trying to score on an errant pitch.
Siena tied the game with an unearned tally in the bottom of the fifth. The Saints then took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the sixth. After Shannon Jones and Courtney Mahan walked, Lindsey McKeever ripped an RBI double to put Siena in front.
The Lady Jaspers mounted a two-out rally on back-to-back singles by Walraven and Evangelista in the top of the seventh. However, Filippazzo got Donnelly to send a bouncer to short. Walraven was retired on the fielder's choice to finish off a 2-1 Siena victory.
Evangelista went 2-for-3 in the game, as Manhattan collected just five hits as a team. Rahey was 1-for-3 with an RBI, while Rodriguez scored the Lady Jaspers' only run. Donnelly went the first five innings in the circle, yielding an unearned run on four hits, striking out one and walking one. Rampino pitched the sixth and took the loss. She gave up a run and a hit, struck out one and walked two.
Siena also had five hits in game one, led by Mandy Ferro's 2-for-3 effort. McKeever was 1-for-2 with an RBI, while Brinkman and Emily Snow each scored a run. Filippazzo (4-19) went the distance in the circle, surrendering one run on five hits with four strikeouts and three walks.
Manhattan returns to action on Sunday afternoon, when the Lady Jaspers visit Marist (6-27, 2-6 MAAC) for a doubleheader that gets underway at 12 p.m. Marist swept a doubleheader with Saint Peter's on Saturday.
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