Manhattan-Towson Box Score
Manhattan-Saint Mary's Box Score
MORAGA, CA – On Saturday, the Manhattan College softball team got a pair of strong pitching performances from Briana Matazinsky (Valley Falls, NY) and Stephanie Kristo (San Jose, CA). Unfortunately, though, neither came away with a victory, as the Jaspers (7-5) dropped a pair of one-run decisions on the first day of the Saint Mary's Tournament. Matazinsky allowed just four hits in a 1-0 loss against Towson (15-4), while Kristo came up on the short end of a 2-1 score against the host Gaels (7-14) at Cottrell Field.
After rain washed out both of the Jaspers' scheduled contests on Friday, the weather held off on Saturday, allowing Manhattan to complete each game without interruption.
Against Towson, Manhattan's best scoring chance came in the bottom of the first. Alexa Dawid (Milford, CT) led off the inning with a single, and Elena Bowman (San Mateo, CA) singled with one out. However, Jenn Vazquez (Fairfield, CT) and Matazinsky both grounded out to end the inning. The Tigers then scored the game's only run on an RBI single by Courtney Johnson in the top of the second.
The Jaspers put runners on first and second after walks to Shannon Puthe (Mullica Hill, NJ) and Bowman in the third, but Towson starter Ambar Hickman worked her way out of trouble. Manhattan would have only one more base runner in the game on a two-out single by Bowman in the fifth.
Matazinsky (2-1) retired 16 of the last 18 batters she faced after Johnson's double, but suffered a tough-luck loss. She struck out four and walked one. Offensively, Bowman led the way. She reached base all three times on two hits and a walk.
Hickman (7-1), meanwhile, struck out seven and walked three in her four-hit shutout. Holiday Cahill scored the Tigers' only run after leading off the second with a double.
In Manhattan's second game of the day, Kristo engaged in another pitchers' duel with Saint Mary's hurler Katie Moss. Kristo worked around a pair of base runners in the second and again in the fifth, while the only two hits Moss allowed over the first six innings were Bowman singles (she reached base in each of her first five plate appearances and went a combined 4-for-5 in the two games).
It was still scoreless when Matazinsky led off the top of the seventh with a single to right. She took second on a wild pitch, then moved to third on Stephanie Reinhardt's (Albany, NY) sacrifice bunt. Kat Prevo (San Diego, CA) was up next, and she lifted a fly ball to center field that gave the Jaspers a 1-0 lead.
Saint Mary's responded in the bottom of the seventh, though. Shannon Low started the inning with a single, then Bailey Lotz was hit by a pitch and Dylan Linton walked to load the bases with nobody out. After the Gaels tied the game on Monika Reichhardt's sacrifice fly to center, Kristo got Katelyn Mamizuka on a popup to short. However, Andrea Hazel followed with an infield single that knocked in pinch runner Cassandra Grima, and Saint Mary's walked off with a 2-1 win.
Kristo (3-2) was charged with two runs and six hits in 6.2 innings of work. She struck out three and walked three. Bowman had two of the Jaspers' three hits, while Prevo recorded Manhattan's only RBI in the game.
For Saint Mary's, Low and Hazel each had two hits. Low went 2-for-2 with a walk and scored a run, while Hazel was 2-for-4 with the game-winning RBI. Overall, the Gaels had six hits. Moss (4-6) surrendered one run on three hits, struck out 11 and walked one.
Manhattan and Saint Mary's are set to meet again at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, but rain is in the forecast. The Jaspers also have a matchup with Portland State (5-14) scheduled for 3 p.m. ET on the final day of the tournament.