Box Score
RIVERDALE, N.Y. – The Manhattan baseball team took a 3-1 lead into the fourth during their mid-week affair with Hofstra University. Unfortunately, the bullpen could not hold onto that advantage as the Jaspers (15-18) fell to the Pride, 6-3 at Van Cortlandt Park on Tuesday afternoon. It was the third straight loss for Manhattan, and their second of the season to Hofstra (18-20).
Freshman Casey Meyers, making his first career start, got some solid defensive play early when Brendan Slattery made a running catch in foul territory and threw out a runner at the plate to end the second inning. That momentum would carry into the home half of the frame as Slattery hit a one out single up the middle and stole second. He would later score on a Joe Rock single to left off starter Jared Rogers that gave Manhattan the 1-0 lead.
Hofstra would knot things up in the top of the third as TJ Ehrsam led off the inning with a single before eventually coming home on a Kevin Brantley RBI groundout. In the home half of the frame, Nick Camastro began inning with a single and advanced to second on a Yoandry Galan sacrifice bunt. Kyle Murphy then hit a high pop-up to left centerfield that was dropped when Chris Nardo and Taylor Stuart had a miscommunication on who would make the catch. That not only allowed Camastro to score, but let Murphy reach third with only one out. Christian Santisteban followed immediately with a sacrifice fly to right, putting the Jaspers ahead 3-1.
Meyers would get the first two outs of the fourth before giving up a single to Joe Perez and hitting Nardo with a pitch to put runners on second and first. Stuart then followed with a single to right center bringing home Perez and cutting the lead to one. That would be all the Pride could manage in the inning as Meyers induced a fly out to end it. Rogers held Manhattan scoreless in the fourth but struggled to get through the fifth. After a Ramon Ortega double put runners at second and third with one out, Nick Kozlowski would be brought on to pitch. He walked Joe McClennan to load the bases before getting Slattery to ground into an inning ending double play.
Chris Liquori started the sixth for the Jaspers and promptly retired the first two batters. A sharply hit ball down the left field line by Nardo got a Hofstra rally going and was followed when Stuart tripled into the right field corner, tying the game at 3-3 after six. In the top of the seventh, Austin Nyman was hit by a pitch and sacrificed to second by Brantley for the Pride. Robbie Cafiero then doubled to right center, driving in Nyman, and giving Hofstra their first lead of the contest. After walking Kenny Jackson, Liquori was pulled in favor of Sean Abbate. A passed ball advanced both runners before Jared Hammer singled to bring in two more runs and give the Pride a 6-3 lead.
Reliever Brian Verbitsky, who entered with two outs in the sixth, kept the Jaspers off the board in both the seventh and eighth before Brett Schreiber came on in the bottom of the ninth. Galan singled to center to begin the inning but would be stranded at second after two groundouts and a pop-up ended the game.
Liquori (1-1) took the loss after giving up four runs on three hits in an inning and a third while Verbitsky (2-2) go the win for Hofstra retiring eight of the ten batters he faced without allowing a run. Schreiber picked up his sixth save of the season for the Pride.
Manhattan gets a chance to snap their three game skid almost immediately when they travel to West Point, N.Y. on Wed., April 17 to take on Army.
