Fishkill, NY (May 28, 2004)-
Chris Cody pitched a complete game to put Manhattan into its first ever MAAC Championship round at the Anaconda/MAAC Baseball Championships at Dutchess County Stadium. The Jaspers will take on LeMoyne Saturday at 1:00 p.m.
Chris Gaskin went 3-5 with four RBI to lead the offensive charge in the 12-7 victory.
Manhattan jumped on Niagara starter Ryan Virtue in its first at bat, plating four runs in the bottom of the first. After
Nick Derba led off the inning with a single and
Gary Diaz followed with a walk,
Sam Deluca drove home Derba with a RBI single. Gaskin followed with a two-run double, chasing home Diaz and Deluca before
Matt Cucurullo plated Gaskin with a RBI single.
The Purple Eagles responded with two runs in the top of the second, and knotted the score at 4-4 with two more in the top of the fourth.
In the Jasper half of the fourth, Manhattan broke the game open with four runs of its own. After
John Fitzpatrick led off the inning with a double,
Josh Greco brought home pinch runner
Nick Carbone with a single. After two outs, Derba connected on a two-run homer to left, bringing home Greco and making the score 8-4 in favor of the Jaspers.
After Niagara scored once in the top of the sixth, Manhattan answered with two runs in its half of the inning when Gaskin singled home Diaz and Derba with a single up the middle.
The Jaspers extended their lead to 12-5 in the bottom of the seventh on a RBI double by Greco, and an RBI groundout by
John Maser.
The Purple Eagles scored twice in the top of the eighth, but could get no closer.
Cody (5-1) allowed five earned runs while striking out eight. Virtue (6-3) took the loss, allowing eight runs, all earned, over 3.2 innings.
Derba (3-5, 2 RBI), Deluca (2-4, RBI), Greco (2-4, 2 RBI), and
Frank Cappello (2-3) joined Gaskin with multi-hit games.
Deluca's two hits gives him 70 for the season, and breaks the Manhattan single season record.
The Jaspers must defeat LeMoyne twice on Saturday to capture their first ever MAAC Championship.
