TEANECK, NJ — Opening the home schedule with a Friday afternoon tilt vs. Fairfield (10-4, 1-0 MAAC), Manhattan (7-9, 2-2 MAAC) fought back from a 2-0 deficit to tie the game at two apiece before absorbing a 3-2 loss at Naimoli Family Baseball Complex on the campus of Fairleigh Dickinson University.
HOW IT HAPPENED
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Manhattan was right in the thick of the battle for the entire way thanks to a superb outing from Andrew Castellucio.
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Fairfield's Nolan Colby drove in the first run with a home run to right center in the second inning.
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The Stags extended its lead to 2-0 when shortstop Luke Nomura singled and drove in third baseman Dean Ferrara following his double.
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Manhattan enjoyed a nice start to the third with a single to left field for Dylan Mayer which was capitalized on by a two-run shot from freshman left fielder Jeremy Sosa.
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Fairfield scored the decisive game-winning run in the top of the ninth on a solo shot from Matt Bucciero.
STATS AND NOTES
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Sosa remained hot at the plate, going 1-4 with two RBIs and captivating the crowd with his first career long ball.
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Over the past two games, Sosa is 3-9 (.333) at the plate.
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Castellucio went 5.2 innings with a full line of two earned runs on four hits, three strikeouts and five walks.
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Castellucio threw a season-high 104 pitches.
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Just like last weekend, the Jaspers found themselves on the other side of the series opener. Additionally, the Jaspers will look to bounce like they did by defeating Siena in the final two games of last weekend's series.
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Manhattan is calling the Naimoli Family Baseball Complex "home" for the series with Fairfield as well as the next home series with Iona (April 4-6).
NEXT UP
Manhattan will conclude the series tomorrow with a double-header vs. Fairfield, with game one at 11 AM and game two starting at approximately 2 PM.
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