Box Score
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. – The Manhattan College baseball team made the short trip to Hofstra for a non-conference tilt on Tuesday afternoon. The Jaspers (10-14) jumped out to a 2-0 lead before the Pride (12-16) used a seven-run fifth to pull away for a 12-3 victory at University Field.
Kyle Murphy (Waterbury, Conn.) ripped a one-out single in the top of the first and eventually scored on a single by Brendan Slattery (Danbury, Conn.). Manhattan increased its lead to 2-0 in the top of the third. Nick Camastro (Lagrangeville, N.Y.) led off the inning with a double to right center, then Ramon Ortega (Miami, Fla.) drew a walk and Slattery was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out. Matt Troisi (Brooklyn, N.Y.) followed with a groundout to first that knocked in Camastro.
Hofstra got on the board with a run in the bottom of the third, then put up a seven-spot in the fifth. Kevin Brantley ripped an RBI double, while Austin Nyman followed with a two-run single up the middle. Jared Hammer drove in three runs with a bases-loaded double, and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Chris Nardo. The Pride added two more in the sixth to increase their lead to 10-2.
The Jaspers broke thorough for another run in the eighth. After Slattery was hit by a pitch and Troisi walked, the runners moved to second and third on a wild pitch. Andrew Gorecki (Smithtown, N.Y.) followed with an RBI single up the middle. Hofstra then rounded out the scoring with a two-spot in the bottom half of the inning.
Camastro finished with three hits, including two doubles, and scored a run. Gorecki added two hits and an RBI, while Slattery went 1-for-2 with a run scored and an RBI. Sean Abbate (Levittown, N.Y.) (1-1) got the start on the mound and went four innings. He surrendered seven runs (six earned) on eight hits, struck out five and walked one. Michael Martin (Massapequa, N.Y.), Chris Liquori (Wyckoff, N.J.) and Casey Meyers (Brookside, N.J.) tossed a combined four innings of relief.
For the Pride, Hammer led the way with a pair of doubles and four RBIs. He also scored a pair of runs. Taylor Stuart went 3-for-4 with two runs scored, while Nardo was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. Brantley and Nyman each contributed two hits and two RBIs, as Hofstra finished with 12 hits in the contest. Starter Jared Rogers lasted 2.2 innings on the mound. He yielded two runs on four hits, struck out one and walked one. Chris Harkey (2-0) earned the win in relief after allowing just two hits and striking out two in 4.1 shutout innings. Dave Jesch tallied three strikeouts and gave up a run in the eighth, and Bryan Verbitsky finished up for Hofstra.
After opening the season with 24 games away from home, the Jaspers finally take the field at Van Cortlandt Park for the first time on Wednesday. Manhattan, which went 18-0 at home in 2012, squares off with Fordham (11-14) at 3:30 p.m. in the first of two “Battle of the Bronx” matchups this season.
