Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 Game One: Box Score (HTML) | Box Score (PDF)
Game Two: Box Score (HTML) | Box Score (PDF)
Niagara University, NY - Fueled by outstanding pitching, Manhattan swept a doubleheader from Niagara by scores of 3-1 and 3-2 at Bobo Field.
By clinching their second-straight series victory, the Jaspers are now 17-27 and 8-9 in the MAAC while the Purple Eagles fall to 15-28-1 and 10-10 in the league.
Game 1 Recap:
Sophomore LHP Tom Cosgrove (Staten Island, NY / Farrell) struck out nine and didn't walk a batter in registering a complete game masterpiece as Manhattan defeated Niagara 3-1 in the teams' series opener.
Cosgrove registered his first career complete game victory after allowing just an unearned run on five hits while registering five perfect frames en route to improving to 2-5.
The Purple Eagles quickly opened the scoring with a first-inning run as Julian Gallup legged out an infield single while advancing to second on a throwing error. After moving to third on a sacrifice bunt, Gallup scored on a Michael Fuhrman RBI ground out.
Niagara threatened again in the second inning, putting runners at the corners with one out only to be snuffed out by Cosgrove, who fielded the safety squeeze attempt with aplomb before firing to the plate to get Christian Vangeison for out number two.
The fielder's choice grounder also fueled a chain of events that would see Cosgrove retire 20 of the next 21 batters he faced, including setting down the side in order in third, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth innings.
Offensively, after threatening in the first three frames the Jaspers finally broke through in the fourth. Senior Christian Santisteban (Miami, FL / Gulliver Prep) led off with a double before freshman Fabian Pena (Miami, FL / Calusa Prep) drew a walk and sophomore Michael Pfenninger (Flemington, NJ / Hunterdon Central) legged out a bunt single to load the bases with no outs. Junior Jason Patnick (Hopewell, NJ / IMG Academy (FL)) followed with a sacrifice fly to center to plate Santisteban while tying it up at 1-1.
Santisteban was back at it again in the sixth, leading off the frame with his second double of the game. Patnick then picked him up with a two-out, run-scoring single to center to put Manhattan in front at 2-1.
Sophomore Ryan Gronlier (Doral, FL / Doral Academy) gave Cosgrove an insurance run with a leadoff home run in the seventh to stake Manhattan to an insurmountable 3-1 lead.
Niagara would mount a one-out threat in the bottom of the ninth with a pair of singles before Cosgrove dashed any hopes of a Purple Eagle comeback by inducing a game-ending double play grounder.
Santisteban went 2-for-3 with two doubles and two runs while Patnick drove in two runs and Gronlier hit his third home run of the season to lead the way for the Jaspers on offense.
Zachary Kolodziejski (3-6) was the tough-luck losing pitcher, allowing three runs on nine hits over 8.0 innings with eight strikeouts.
Game 2 Recap:
Manhattan completed a doubleheader sweep with another come-from-behind performance in game two.
Junior Jose Carrera (Miami, FL / St. Brendan) led off the game with a double before moving to third on a pass ball. Santisteban followed with a sacrifice fly to quickly give the Jaspers a 1-0 lead.
Niagara would rally in the bottom of the third with two runs on what would prove to be its only three hits of the game in assuming a 2-1 lead.
The Jaspers immediately tied the game up at 2-2 in the fourth as Pfenninger laced a two-out double before scoring on freshman Richie Barrella's (Larchmont, NY / Canterbury Prep) run-scoring double down the right field line.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Purple Eagles appeared poised to reclaim the lead as they loaded the bases with two outs. Greg Cullen then hit a ball off of junior LHP Joe Jacques (Shrewsbury, NJ / Red Bank Regional) that Carrera was able to corral and get the runner at first for the final out.
Pena broke the deadlock with his team-leading seventh home run with one out in the top of the sixth to give Manhattan a 3-2 lead it would not relinquish.
Junior RHP Shawn Kanwisher (Washington Township, NJ / St. Joseph Regional) finished off the doubleheader sweep with two perfect innings of relief in collecting his third save of the year.
Jacques improved to 2-4, striking out two while yielding both runs over 5.0 innings of work.
Cody Eckerson (4-3) was saddled with the loss, allowing three runs, two earned, on seven hits with seven strikeouts over 7.0 innings.
The teams will conclude their series with a single game on Sunday, May 8 at 12:00 pm.
