Jaspers Notch 6-3 Victory Over Stony Brook

RIVERDALE, NY – On Wednesday afternoon, the Manhattan College softball team concluded its four-game homestand with a matchup against Stony Brook.  The Jaspers (12-8) got 5.1 innings of solid relief from Erin Hamm (Collegeville, PA) and scored three times in the sixth to break the game open in a 6-3 triumph over the Seawolves (10-16-1) at Gaelic Park.

After Stony Brook took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, the Jaspers responded with two runs in the bottom half of the inning.  Alexa Dawid (Milford, CT) and Elena Bowman (San Mateo, CA) got the rally started with back-to-back singles before Briana Matazinsky (Valley Falls, NY) drew a one-out walk.  Stephanie Reinhardt (Albany, NY) was up next, and she ripped a double to left that put Manhattan in front 2-1.

The Seawolves tied it on a bases loaded walk in the top of the second, but Manhattan again countered immediately.  Emily Cutler (Bloomingdale, NJ) reached on an infield single and beat the throw to second on Dawid's grounder back to the pitcher.  Bowman followed with a groundout, and Stony Brook tried to catch Cutler too far off third.  However, the throw went into left field, allowing the Jaspers to take a 3-2 lead.

That was all the offense Hamm would need.  She entered with two out in the second and retired the first 10 Seawolves she faced before Irene Rivera's leadoff single in the sixth.  Rivera was thrown out trying to extend it to a double, though, and Stony Brook failed to score.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Jaspers added three more runs.  Shannon Puthe (Mullica Hill, NJ) started the inning with a pinch-hit double, and she moved to third on a bunt single by Cutler.  After Bowman was intentionally walked, Jenn Vazquez (Fairfield, CT) sent a comebacker to the pitcher.  Stony Brook tried to get the out at home, but the throw was high.  Matazinsky then ripped a two-run double to the gap in left center, increasing Manhattan's cushion to 6-2.

Stony Brook recorded an unearned tally in the top of the seventh before Hamm (3-1) closed out the victory.  She went 5.1 innings and yielded just one unearned run on two hits while walking two and striking out two.  Jaspers starter Danielle Gabriel (Island Heights, NJ) surrendered two runs on one hit with two strikeouts and five walks in 1.2 innings.  Offensively, Cutler finished 2-for-2 with two runs scored, while Matazinsky and Reinhardt each had a double and two RBIs.

Rivera collected two of the Seawolves' three hits, and she also drove in a run.  Kim Ragazzo singled in the seventh for the other Stony Brook hit.  Maddy Neales (3-4) went 5.1 innings in the circle and took the loss.  She gave up six runs (four earned) on six hits, struck out eight and walked six.  Alex Petrolia allowed one hit in 0.2 scoreless innings of work.