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DeLand, FL - Fueled by a five-run third, Stetson took the second game of a three-game series with Manhattan 5-0 at Melching Field.
Austin Hale homered to lead off the third in fueling a five-run frame that would prove to be the difference as the Hatters improve to 2-0 while the Jaspers fall to 0-2.
Sophomore RHP
Nick Massa (Shrewsbury, NJ / Red Bank Regional) was outstanding in defeat, yielding just five runs on six hits over a career-high 7.0 innings of action, including five hitless frames, with two strikeouts against just one walk. Massa yielded all five of his runs, on five hits, in the decisive third inning before recovering to retire 16 of the final 18 batters he would face on the night.
Manhattan posted its first threat in the second inning as graduate student
Matt Forlow (Cold Spring, NY / Haldane) worked the count full in drawing a walk. Following a pair of outs, sophomore
Alex Cerda (Miami, FL / Florida Christian School) reached via an error before graduate student
Evan Brown (Asburnham, MA / Bridgton Academy (ME)) was plunked. Unfortunately, Hatter starting pitcher RHP Jack Perkins struck out the next batter to leave the bases loaded.
Perkins then settled down and retired 16 of the final 17 batters he faced before running into trouble in the top of the eighth as freshman Justin Trochiano (Morganville, NJ / Marlboro) and senior
Brendan Bisset (New City, NY / Don Bosco Prep (NJ)) back-to-back walks. Unfortunately, reliever Ryan Stark induced a pair of outs to quell the threat.
Bisset singled and drew a walk to pace the Jasper offense. Junior RHP
Joe DiNizio (Middlesex, NJ / Middlesex) struck out one in a perfect inning of relief in his first appearance since the 2016 season to highlight the top performers.
The teams will conclude their series tomorrow at 1:00 pm.
