BUFFALO, N.Y. – It was a back-and-forth affair Sunday afternoon at Demske Sports Complex between the Manhattan and Canisius baseball teams, but Manhattan hung on to earn a 5-4 win to close the series.
Manhattan (18-31, 11-10 MAAC) enters the final week of the regular season, hosting Fordham on Tuesday at Clover Stadium followed by a series with the Rider Broncs, also at Clover.
The first inning was an eventful one for fans in attendance.
Logan Pfannenbecker continued to stay hot at the plate and reached on a single right up the middle, setting the table for
Pete Durocher in the three-hole. Durocher delivered for the Jaspers, taking the Golden Griffin's starter for a ride to the opposite field for Durocher's eighth home run of the season for a 2-0 lead at the end of the top of the first.
Canisius got one of the two runs back in the home half of the inning with Jackson Strong bringing the run around on an RBI single to make the score 2-1 at the end of one inning of play.
A pair of fielding errors by the Jaspers in the second inning allowed the score to be tied up at 2-2.
Manhattan responded by threatening in the third inning. The Pfannenbecker and Durocher connection delivered back-to-back walks.
Jack Lynch stepped next and drew a five-pitch walk to load the bases with one out.
Alfredo Delgado worked a full count and connected for a sacrifice fly to bring Pfannenbecker the final 90 feet to take a 3-2 lead.
Strong tied the affair up with an opposite-field RBI double in the home half of the third inning.
The lead swung back to the good guys in the sixth inning when Delgado led off the inning by getting under the ball and taking it out to left center for his fourth long ball of the season. Yet another immediate response occurred from Canisius, who used their own solo shot to tie the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the sixth.
The tug of war on the scoreboard continued in the following half inning. Once again, Pfannenbecker and Durocher reached base and advanced on a wild pitch to move both into scoring position. Lynch grounded out to first but it was enough to bring home Pfannebecker to regain the lead, 5-4.
Oliver Pudvar earned the win following five relief innings, yielding one run and punching out a career-high seven.
Trey Packen followed Pudvar with a 1-2-3 eighth inning and
Garret Garbinski closed the door in the ninth for his sixth save of the season.
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