Box Score (Game 1) | Box Score (Game 2)
DeLand, FL - Despite a pair of outstanding starting pitching performances, Manhattan dropped a pair of games on the first day of the 2020 season.
The Jaspers were clipped by a 5-4 count by Air Force, before falling to Stetson 9-6 at Melching Field.
Manhattan will next play Air Force on Saturday, February 15 at 1:00 pm.
Game Two
Senior RHP
T.J. Stuart (Milford, CT / Joseph A. Foran) picked up where he left off last year in the nightcap, striking out seven over 6.0 innings of one-run ball against Stetson.
The Hatters scored the first run in the bottom of the first, but would be stymied over the next five frames against Stuart, before the tri-captain gave way to the bullpen.
The Jaspers jumped in front by a 3-1 count in the fourth inning as graduate student
Richie Barrella (Larchmont, NY / Canterbury Prep) and junior
Matt Padre (Flemington, NJ / Hunterdon Central) led off with singles, before each came around to score.
Manhattan extended its lead out to 4-1 in the fifth as senior
Alex Cerda (Miami, FL / Florida Christian Prep) chased home sophomore
Nick Cimillo (Airmont, NY / Suffern) with a RBI single.
Stetson would fight back with four runs in the seventh to take a 5-4 lead, before the Jaspers rallied with a pair of runs in the eighth. Freshman
Alfredo Delgado (Bronx, NY / Fordham Prep) and junior
Santiago Riera (Rioclaro, Venezuela / Brunswich (CT)) each registered one-out hits, before coming around to score on a huge two-out single off the bat of Cimillo.
Unfortunately, the Hatters would rally with four runs in the bottom part of the frame in taking what would prove to be an insurmountable 9-6 advantage.
Barrella went 4-for-5 with a double and a run, while Delgado was 3-for-4 with two runs and a walk to highlight a 13-hit Manhattan attack.
Nick DiPonzio was 3-for-5 with three runs to lead the way for Stetson to help make a winner of Garner Špoljaric, who struck out three over 1.1 innings of relief.
Game One
The Jaspers lost a hard-fought 4-3 decision to Air Force.
Manhattan opened the 2020 season on a tear as sophomore
Sam Franco (Bardonia, NY / Clarkstown South) legged out a leadoff single, before moving to second on an errant throw. After advancing to third on
Will Trochiano's (Jr., Morganville, NJ / Marlboro) single up the middle, Franco would come around to score on a Cimillo RBI fielder's choice grounder.
On the mound, senior
Nick Massa (Red Bank, NJ / Red Bank Regional) was equally impressive in striking out the side swinging in the bottom part of the frame.
Massa would continue to dominate, before exiting after 5.0 innings of work. The hard-throwing righty struck out at least one batter in each of his five full innings of action, exiting with nine punchouts on the day.
After leaving the bases loaded in the fourth, the Falcons finally broke through with a two-out run-scoring single in the fifth to tie it up at 1-1.
The Jaspers quickly answered with a run in the top of the sixth, as Trochiano led off with a single, before moving to second a Barrella sacrifice bunt. Padre then plated Trochiano with a RBI single.
Unfortunately, the lead would be short-lived as the Falcons scored three runs while chasing Massa from the game.
Freshman RHP
Justin Solimine (Danbury, CT / Danbury) stopped the bleeding, while standing a runner in scoring position.
Manhattan immediately got a run back in the top of the seventh, as Delgado smacked a RBI single to push home junior
Jake Knop (Portland, ME / Portland) to draw the Jaspers within one at 4-3.
That would be as close as Manhattan would get as the Air Force bullpen held the Green & White at bay over the final two frames.
Trochiano went 3-for-4 with a run to pace an eight-hit offense, while Solimine did not yield a hit over 3.0 dominant innings in his Jasper debut.
Luke Chilcutt earned the win, striking out three over 6.0 innings of two-run ball. Ashton Easley and Gabriel Garcia each had two hits and a RBI to lead the way on offense for the Falcons.
