Box Score
Box Score
FAIRFIELD, Conn. – After waiting a day—then nearly five more hours—because of rain, the Manhattan College softball team finally took the field for its second game of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Tournament on Friday afternoon. And the sixth-seeded Jaspers (23-28), who were the only team that didn't get a chance to play on Thursday, extended their stay in Connecticut with a 4-2 victory over fifth-seeded Monmouth (22-21) in the elimination round at Fairfield University's Alumni Softball Field.
The contest was originally scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, but was shifted to Friday at 9 a.m. after rain delays pushed the schedule back. However, more rain on Friday morning caused a delay until 12 p.m. As the tarp was being pulled off the field, it began raining again, forcing the Jaspers and Hawks to wait a little longer. Finally, the skies cleared and the teams took the field at 1:45 p.m., 21-and-a-half hours later than they were originally supposed to.
A hit batsman, a walk, a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly got Monmouth on the board without the benefit of a hit in the bottom of the first. The Jaspers then pulled in front with two runs in the top of the third. Emily Cutler (Bloomingdale, N.J.) drew a leadoff walk and moved to second on a Kate Bowen (Newtown, Conn.) single before stealing third. After Elena Bowman (San Mateo, Calif.) walked to load the bases, Amanda Paxson (Cedar Grove, N.J.) roped a double that was just fair down the right field line, plating two and putting runners on second and third with no out.
“It looked like they were trying to pitch around Elena,” Paxson said. “The same thing happened when we played Iona, and they hit me. This time I had my chance to swing the bat, and I was just looking for a hit.”
However, it would remain 2-1, as Monmouth hurler Sydney Underhill induced three groundouts to get out of further trouble. Monmouth carried that momentum into the bottom half of the inning. Shannon Fitzgerald ripped a leadoff single before scoring on Vanessa Cardoza's infield single to knot the score at 2-2.
In the top of the fifth, the heart of the order sparked another Manhattan rally. Bowen led off the inning with a single and moved to second on a Bowman groundout. Paxson followed with a single to right, but the throw went home and Bowen had to hold at third. Jenn Vazquez (Fairfield, Conn.) then singled to left, giving the Jaspers a 3-2 lead. Paxson advanced to third on the base hit, allowing her to score on Andi Stallard's (Katy, Texas) grounder back to the pitcher.
That was all the offense Amy Bright (Manlius, N.Y.) would need. She allowed a walk in the fifth and a two-out double in the sixth before giving up a one-out single to Jill Freese in the bottom of the seventh that brought Fitzgerald to the plate as the tying run. However, Bright got her looking for the second out. Monmouth then sent up pinch hitter Raelynn Galindo, and she lifted a fly ball to right that Paxson corralled to finish of Manhattan's first postseason win since 2009.
Paxson ended up 2-for-3 with a run scored and two RBIs, while Bowen was 2-for-3 with two runs scored. The Jaspers collected six hits as a team, with Bowman adding a double and Vazquez an RBI single. Cutler scored a run, and Stallard recorded an RBI. Bright (9-15) tossed a complete game four-hitter. She gave up two runs, walked two and struck out six, including her 100th strikeout of the season.
“Amy pitched great today,” Head Coach Tom Pardalis said. “She did a great job. She gave up a couple runs early, but we bounced back and got some key hits.”
For the Hawks, Cardoza finished 1-for-2 with a RBI and Fitzgerald went 1-for-2 with a run scored. Nikki Sandelier scored the other Monmouth run, while Justene Reyes had an RBI with a first-inning sacrifice fly. Underhill (18-15) gave up four runs (three earned) on six hits, struck out one and walked three in seven innings of work.
With the win, Manhattan snapped a six-game MAAC Tournament losing streak and advanced to face fourth-seeded Siena (29-25) on Saturday at 10 a.m. The winner of that game will take on top-seeded Marist (27-23) 30 minutes later for a berth opposite No. 3 Iona (23-21) in the championship round.
