Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score
RIVERDALE, NY – Trailing 4-3 in the fourth inning, the Manhattan College softball team rallied for six runs, then added two more in the fifth to post an 11-4 victory over Canisius in game two of a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) doubleheader at Gaelic Park on Sunday. The Jaspers (21-17, 6-6 MAAC) salvaged a split with the win. The Griffs (15-26, 6-4 MAAC) took the first game by a 3-1 count.
“We did a great job in game two to earn an important split,” Head Coach Tom Pardalis said. “We made some good adjustments and got timely hits.”
After winning the opener, Canisius jumped out to a 2-0 advantage on a pair of unearned tallies in the second inning of game two. The Jaspers then took their first lead in the bottom of the third when Elena Bowman (San Mateo, CA) belted her 10th home run of the year, a three-run shot to center field. The long ball, Manhattan's first hit of the game, put the Jaspers in front 3-2.
Canisius regained the lead with two runs in the top of the fourth, but it could've been more if not for a great defensive play by Emily Cutler (Bloomingdale, NJ). With the bases loaded and nobody out, Moriah Harris sent a sinking line drive to shallow center field. Cutler made a diving catch then threw to third to double off the Canisius base runner, who took off for home, not realizing the ball had been caught.
That play was the turning point of the game, as the Jaspers erupted for six runs in the bottom half of the inning. Jenn Vazquez (Fairfield, CT) led off the inning and reached on an error before Briana Matazinsky (Valley Falls, NY) drew a walk and Alexa Dawid (Milford, CT) beat out a bunt for an infield single. Pinch hitter Anna Crowley (Eastchester, NY) followed with an RBI single up the middle that knotted the score at 4-4. Victoria Ross (Bloomfield, NJ) then delivered a two-run, pinch-hit single to put Manhattan in front. After Cutler's line drive was snagged at short, Shannon Puthe (Mullica Hill, NJ) ripped a double down the right field line that plated two more runs. Vazquez made it 9-4 with an RBI single in her second at-bat of the inning.
The Jaspers played some small ball to put across two more in the fifth. Dawid drew a leadoff walk and Rachael Mumma (Mechanicsburg, PA) followed with a single to right. After Stephanie Reinhardt (Albany, NY) bunted the runners over to second and third, Cutler dropped down another bunt. She was barely out at first, but a run scored on the squeeze play to increase Manhattan's cushion to 10-4. Puthe then knocked in another run with a single to right.
Stephanie Kristo (San Jose, CA), who entered with one out in the fifth, retired the first seven batters she faced before allowing a two-out single in the seventh. Kristo got the next batter on a fly ball to left, though, capping the 11-4 victory and securing a split in the twinbill.
Puthe had two of Manhattan's eight hits in the game. She also scored twice and knocked in three. Bowman drove in three on her home run, while Ross tallied two RBIs and Dawid crossed the plate twice. Starting pitcher Erin Hamm (Collegeville, PA) went three-plus innings in the circle. She yielded four runs (two earned) on four hits, walked five and struck out two. Danielle Gabriel (Island Heights, NJ) (4-3) earned the win after surrendering two hits and a walk in 1.1 scoreless innings. Kristo gave up just one hit and was credited with a strikeout in 2.2 innings of shutout relief.
Lindsey Silfer and Meghan Cuda both went 2-for-3 for the Griffs. Silfer also drove in a run, and Cuda scored once. Alexis Roman, meanwhile, collected a pair of RBIs. Lauren Castro (2-5) took the loss after being charged with seven runs (six earned) on three hits with a strikeout and three walks in three-plus innings. Erika Mackie tossed three innings of relief and allowed four runs on five hits and four walks. She struck out one.
In the first game, Canisius took advantage of two Manhattan errors to post a pair of unearned tallies in the top of the third. The Griffs increased their lead to 3-0 on Destiny Holani's RBI single in the fourth.
Meanwhile, the Manhattan offense was unable to solve Canisius starter Madi Weathers. The Jaspers stranded eight runners over the first six innings, including leaving the bases loaded in the fourth.
Manhattan finally got to Weathers in the bottom of the seventh. Cutler started the inning with an infield single, and Puthe followed with a double down the right field line. With Bowman coming up as the tying run, the Griffs decided to put her on and load the bases with nobody out. Lauren Pitney (Ansonia, CT) was up next, and she sent a grounder back to the circle. Canisius got the out at home and tried to turn it into a double play by throwing down to first. The throw went wild, though, and a run scored on the error. However, Weathers retired Vazquez and Matazinsky on popups to finish off a 3-1 victory for Canisius.
Weathers (5-7) tossed a complete game for the Griffs. She allowed one unearned run on six hits, struck out five and walked five. Silfer had two hits in game one, while Holani finished 2-for-2 with a run scored and an RBI.
For the Jaspers, Vazquez and Cutler each registered a pair of hits. Puthe had a double and a run scored, while Matazinsky also ripped a double. She also went the distance in the circle and took the loss. Matazinsky (7-6) surrendered three runs (one earned) on six hits with five strikeouts and a walk.
On Tuesday, Manhattan continues its eight-game homestand with a 3 p.m. twinbill against Fairleigh Dickinson (11-26). The Jaspers posted an 11-2 victory over the Knights during the St. John's Invitational on March 20.
