Box Score
Box Score
FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Three wins in one day. It's a daunting task. But it's what the Manhattan College softball team would have to do in order to play for a championship on Sunday. Mission accomplished. After beating Siena and Marist to get into the championship round of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Tournament, the sixth-seeded Jaspers (26-28) knocked off third-seeded Iona (23-22), 1-0, on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Softball Field to set up a winner-take-all showdown on Sunday.
Head Coach Tom Pardalis used both Kate Bowen (Newtown, Conn.) and Amy Bright (Manlius, N.Y.) in the circle earlier in the day, so it was freshman Danielle Gabriel (Island Heights, N.J.) that got the ball against the Gaels. And Gabriel was brilliant. She allowed just two hits, a double to MAAC Player of the Year Eileen McCann in the first and a single by Katie Jansson in the second. Jansson would prove to be Iona's last base runner of the game, as Gabriel retired the last 17 Gaels she faced.
As for the offense, the only run Gabriel would need came in the bottom of the first, when Elena Bowman (San Mateo, Calif.) crushed a long home run to right center. Manhattan threatened again in the bottom of the fifth. Emily Cutler (Bloomingdale, N.J.) sent a ground ball single through pitcher Jordan Courage's legs, and Bowen followed with a single to left center. However, Bowman popped one up foul behind first to end the inning.
The contest was delayed an hour by rain just as it was about to start, and it began to drizzle again in the sixth. It got harder in the bottom half of the inning, but that didn't stop the Jaspers from putting together another rally. Jenn Vazquez (Fairfield, Conn.) smacked a one-out single and was bunted over to second by Andi Stallard (Katy, Texas). However, pinch runner Meredith Bryant (Brielle, N.J.) was called out at second when the umpires ruled she left the base early with Stephanie Reinhardt (Albany, N.Y.) batting, sending the contest into the seventh with Manhattan clinging to a 1-0 lead.
Iona sent up McCann to lead off the seventh, but Gabriel retired her on a grounder to short. MAAC Rookie of the Year Kristen Turner was up next, and she struck out swinging for the second out. Sarah Schutz then sent a drive to deep left that looked like it might be a game-tying home run. However, Stallard made a leaping catch at the wall to preserve the 1-0 triumph.
Incredibly, Manhattan picked up its third win of the day, all by one run, to set up a decisive matchup on Sunday. The Jaspers, who hadn't won a MAAC Tournament game since 2009 until beating Monmouth on Friday, have now won four straight in little more than 27 hours.
Manhattan picked up just five hits in the game, with Bowman's homer accounting for the only run of the contest. Gabriel (4-5) struck out three in her first collegiate shutout.
No Iona base runner got past second base, as McCann's first-inning double and Jansson's second-inning single were the Gaels' only hits. Courage (7-12) came out on the short end of the pitcher's duel. She tossed a six-inning complete game, giving up one run on five hits and striking out one. Neither pitcher issued a walk.
Sunday's championship game will get underway at 11 a.m. The winner will clinch the MAAC's automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.
