Box Score (PDF)
Staten Island, NY - Freshman
Nick Cimillo (Airmont, NY / Suffern) delivered the go-ahead two-run hit while graduate student
Shawn Blake (Stratford, CT / Elon) homered and drove in two as junior RHP
T.J. Stuart (Stratford, CT / Joseph A. Foran) fired a complete game in lifting No. 5 Manhattan to a 5-3 win over No. 1 Canisius at Richmond County Bank Ballpark.
With the second victory of the day, the Jaspers will next play on Friday, May 24 at 11:00 am in the winner's bracket final of the 2019 MAAC Championship against the winner of Thursday's game between No. 2 Quinnipiac and No. 3 Fairfield.
Stuart improves to 8-5 on the year with his NCAA-leading eighth complete game, striking out nine while yielding three runs, two earned, on four hits over 9.0 innings.
Despite the heavy workload, Stuart got stronger as the game went on and yielded just two walks over his final three innings of work.
Canisius took the early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning when Stephen Bennett hit a solo home run to center field.
Manhattan immediately tied the game up at 1-1 in the next half inning with a two-out rally. Freshman
Jonathan Barditch (Miami, FL / Belen Jesuit Prep) got things started with a single back up the middle, before moving to second on classmate
Sam Franco's (Bardonia, NY / Clarkstown South) RBI single just over the reach of the shortstop. Blake then smoked the first pitch he saw to right center for a RBI single while chasing home Barditch.
Blake would give the Jaspers their first lead of the game at 2-1 with a solo home run in the top of the fifth inning to deep right field.
The Golden Griffins would reclaim the lead with a pair of runs in the bottom part of the frame in taking a 3-2 advantage.
Manhattan would make its move in the seventh as graduate student
Cam Crabbe (White Plains, NY / USF) singled, before Franco walked and Blake was plunked to load up the bases with two outs.
Cimillo then blasted a two-run single to center field, plating Crabbe and Franco in giving the Jaspers an insurmountable 4-3 lead.
Sophomore
Matt Padre (Flemington, NJ / Hunterdon Central) added an insurance run in the top of the ninth with the fifth two-out run of the night for Manhattan.
Stuart then got the final three outs in the ninth as the Jaspers became the first team to knock off the top seed on the opening day of the MAAC Tournament since 2015.
Blake was 3-for-4 with a home run, two runs and two RBI while Barditch and Franco each had two hits to pace a 12-hit attack as all nine regulars reached base safely.
RHP Andrew Sipowicz (6-2) was the tough-luck loser, striking out five while yielding four runs on seven hits over 6.2 innings.
Manhattan improves to 26-31 while Canisius falls to 24-28.
