GAME 2 BOXSCOREPoughkeepsie, N.Y. (April 29, 2006)- After another masterful pitching performance from
Chris Cody brought Manhattan a 3-1 win in the opener, the Jaspers rallied with three runs in the top of the seventh to force extra frames, before dropping a 4-3, 11 inning, decision at Marist in the nightcap. Manhattan and Marist remain tied in fourth place in the MAAC with the rubber match of the series to be played Sunday.
Cody and Marist starter Jonathan Smith kept both offenses off balance over the first eight innings of the game, as Cody allowed just two singles and just one runner to reach scoring position, while Smith surrendered only a fourth inning double by
Matt Rizzotti.
In the top of the ninth however, the Jaspers put up the first crooked numbers of the game.
Eric Nieto lead off with a single, and was balked to second before Erik Supplee came on in relief. Nieto would score on the next at bat, as
Mike Garcia's batted ball was thrown away by Supplee, putting Garcia on second. A second straight Marist error, on a ball from Rizzotti, placed runners on second and third. After a groundout,
Nick Derba singled to left, plating two to make the score 3-0 Manhattan heading into the bottom of the ninth.
Back-to-back one out doubles in the bottom of the ninth brought the tying run to the plate, but Cody induced a groundout before catching the final out looking for his seventh win of the season and 24th of his career, moving him past current pitching coach and former Jasper record holder Ryan Darcy '03. He also moved past Darcy on the career strikeout list, as Cody's nine strikeouts gives him 255 for his career, the second most in Manhattan history. The complete game, Cody's sixth of the season, matches Darcy's program best, which he set in 2003.
The second game started much like the first, as the two starters kept runners off the basepaths for the first two and a half innings.
This time it was the Red Foxes who got on the board first, scoring a single run in the third on a RBI single, before plating two more in the fourth on a RBI sacrifice fly and a RBI single.
The score remained 3-0 into the top of the seventh of the scheduled seven-inning game. Once again, Manhattan would respond with its back to the wall.
After managing just one hit over the first six innings, Garcia and Rizzotti began the inning with singles before advancing to second and third, respectively, on a passed ball. After an out, a hit by pitch to load the bases, and a pitching change,
Dom Lombardi beat the throw from Marist second baseman on an attempted double play to score Garcia and put runners on the corners with two out and the score 3-1 Red Foxes.
Ryan Marcoux followed with a two RBI double to left center to chase home Rizzotti and Lombardi and knot the score at 3-3.
Matt Nevins worked out a jam in the bottom of the frame to send the game into extra innings.
Both teams went quietly in the eighth before Manhattan threatened in the top of the ninth. Rizzotti led off the inning with a single up the middle before stealing second and advancing to third on a wild pitch with one out. After Derba was intentionally walked, an attempted double steal ended with Rizzotti being thrown out at the plate in a disputed call.
Neither team mounted much of a scoring threat until Marist was able to loaded the bases with none out in the 11th. On the ensuing play, Manhattan attempted to get a force out at home, but the throw to the plate brought the catcher's foot off the plate, allowing the winning run to score.
