Manhattan University Athletics

Riverdale, NY - The Manhattan softball team couldn't have asked for more in a home opener. After an 11-0 shutout victory over the Hartford Hawks (5-5) in the first game of the doubleheader held Tuesday, March 6 at Gaelic Park, the Jaspers (4-3) took the Hawks to eight innings in the second match-up, winning with a walk-off grounder by senior Briana Matazinsky (Valley Falls, NY / Tamarac) that drove in the winning run and gave Manhattan the 6-5 victory.

Held to a shutout in the first game, Hartford's offense came to life in the second, with the Hawks taking a 2-1 lead in the third. Hartford would hold onto that advantage until the bottom of the seventh, when Matazinsky crushed a three-run homer to tie the game at 5-5 and force extra innings.  

At the top of the eighth, facing pitcher Kayla McDermott (Garnerville, NY / North Rockland), Hartford put the ball in play three times, but the Jaspers' defense proved too hard to slice through, and it was three up, three down for the Hawks. 

In the bottom of the inning, the first batter, sophomore Christine Gebhardt (Middletown, NJ / Middletown North), tripled to right field. She was followed by a walk for Alexa Dawid (Milford, CT / Laurelton). After Dawid stole second, the Hawks walked freshman Adriana Gambino (Stamford, CT / Westhill), loading the bases. 

Matazinsky stepped into the batter's box with two outs against the Jaspers, but was able snag a hit to short. The play at second was too late, and Gebhardt scampered home, the decisive run of the game. 

McDermott got the win for the second game, while Matazinsky, the starting pitcher in the first, got credit for the 11-0 win. Matazinsky went two-for-two in the second game with four RBIs. She went 2-3 while pitching in the first game, earning one RBI. 

Gebhardt and junior Lauren Pitney (Ansonia, CT / St. Joseph's) both homered in the first game, helping the Jaspers to such a big lead, while Shannon Puthe (Mullica Hill, NJ / Saint Joseph's) earned two doubles. 

Up Next: 
The Jaspers head back to Florida for the Stetson Invitational starting Friday, March 9 against UT Martin at 1:30 p.m. in DeLand, FL. In the tournament, Manhattan will also play Stetson and Holy Cross. While down south, the Jaspers will travel to Clearwater to play Army, then will return to DeLand for match-ups with Stetson and George Mason.