NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – Manhattan made it back-to-back wins against Niagara with a 9-4 win on Saturday in Western New York.
The Jaspers needed only three innings, first, sixth, and ninth, to score nine times. The win pulls the Jaspers into sixth place, one game ahead of Niagara, in the MAAC standings.
Manhattan (22-24, 10-10 MAAC) used a four-run sixth to take the lead for good on Saturday. The Jaspers entered the inning trailing 2-1 and tied it at two when
Alfredo Delgado walked, and ball four got away from the Niagara (14-30, 9-11) catcher and allowed
Dolan Ocasal to score.
Two batters later,
Matt Padre gave Manhattan the lead with a two-run single that brought home Delgado and
Trevor Santos.
Zahan Meyer then scored when Padre was picked-off in between first and second.
The four runs in the ninth did not score via hits.
Trevor Santos walked with the bases loaded to make it 6-3 Manhattan. Delgado hit a sacrifice fly to add another run and the final two runs, scored by Santos and Ocasal, came on a wild pitch.
Pete Durocher brought home the game's first run with a single to left to score Padre, who led off the game by getting hit by a pitch.
Niagara scored single runs in the third, fifth, seventh, and ninth innings. Brady Desjardins had three hits for the Purple Eagles.
Jordan Warecke went 6.2 innings for the Jaspers to collect the win. The right-hander worked around seven hits and three walks to allow only two earned runs.
John Farley pitched the final 2.1 innings in relief.
Warecke did not allow a hit over the first two innings.
The Jaspers and Purple Eagles will play game three of the weekend series, tomorrow, Sunday at 1 p.m.
