POMONA, N.Y. – Manhattan walked off with a 2-1 win in game one of a weekend series against Canisius on Friday.
Pete Durocher delivered a one-out single through the left side to bring home
Matt Padre for the winning run and start Manhattan (9-10, 1-0 MAAC) off league play on the right foot.
Manhattan and Canisius (8-11, 0-1) got quality outings from their respective starting pitchers.
Will Hesslink went 6.1 innings for the Jaspers and struck out eight while allowing only one unearned run. Matt Duffy went seven innings for Canisius, allowed only one run, and fanned four Manhattan hitters.
Hesslink has allowed two earned runs or less in five of his six starts this season for the Jaspers.
Duffy kept the Jaspers hitless until the bottom of the fifth and had faced only one more than minimum through the first four innings.
Canisius got on the board first in the top of the fifth. An error followed by back-to-back singles brought in Jake Zurat.
Manhattan would tie the game in the bottom of the sixth when
David Bermudez brought in
Frankie Marinelli. The Jaspers would eventually load the bases after a pair of hit batters with one away. After a dropped third strike, Bermudez was cut down trying to score to end the frame.
John Farley pitched 2.2 innings of scoreless relief to collect the win for Manhattan. Farley got a double-play ball to end the seventh after coming in for Hesslink. The senior would retire the Golden Griffins in order in the eighth and ninth.
The teams are back on Saturday at 11 a.m. for game two of the weekend set.
