RIVERDALE, N.Y. – Manhattan battled Niagara in a pair of games on Saturday but ultimately fell to Niagara in both games of the doubleheader.
Game 1: Niagara 6, Manhattan 5
All the scoring came in the middle innings of game one. Both teams scored in their halves of the third, fourth, and fifth innings.
Manhattan got three straight two-out hits to tie the score at two in the bottom of the third.
Gabriella Mazzotta,
Lauren Rende, and
Kaitlyn Flood went double, single, double.
Sophia Marrero gave Niagara a two-run lead in the top of the fourth with a homer to left. Later in the inning, the Purple Eagles made it 5-2 with a bases-loaded walk.
Lindsey Hoag brought the Jasper one run closer in the bottom of the fourth.
In the home half of the fifth, the Jaspers had back-to-back hits to start the frame.
Marika Deemer made it a two-run game with an RBI groundout.
Maddy Weir then hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Flood and made it 6-5 Niagara.
Manhattan could not mount a rally in either the sixth or seventh innings.
Rende finished 2-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. Flood also finished 2-4 with an RBI.
Sophia Kiseloski only allowed two earned runs over her seven innings for the Jaspers in the circle. Maddie Hickingbottom picked up the win and struck out eight over seven innings.
Game 2: Niagara 3, Manhattan 1
In game two, all the scoring occurred in one inning. The fifth inning saw all four runs scored.
All three Niagara runs were unearned in the fifth. The first two came around when Sam Hare dropped in a single in front of
Anissa Villalobos in right field. Hare then came around to score on the second error of the inning.
Gabriella Mazzotta tripled to right-center in the bottom of the inning to score
Gabi Mills. Mills reached with an infield single to shortstop.
Manhattan had a rally in the bottom of the seventh to try to tie the game. After
Lauren Rende walked with two out, the Jaspers loaded the bases with two away.
Kaitlyn Flood came up with the bases loaded. Flood battled through an eight-pitch at-bat before flying out to right field to end the game.
Flood, Mazzotta, and Mills had multiple hits. Mazzotta's multi-hit game was her eighth of the season.
Makayla Veneziale allowed only seven base runners in her outing. Cara Leone went 6.1 innings for the Purple Eagles to collect the win. Leone pitched to contact all day as she didn't strike out a Jasper. The Jaspers did not strike out once in game two.
The Jaspers return to action on Sunday at 11 a.m. with a doubleheader against Canisius. Sunday is the Jaspers' Cancer Awareness Game, with a ceremonial first pitch.
For the latest on the Manhattan College softball program, follow the Jaspers on Twitter and Instagram @JaspersSoftball.
