Manhattan Drops Two at Wagner

Game One Box Score

Game Two Box Score 

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. ? After taking more than a week off since sweeping a doubleheader at Army on March 24, the Manhattan College softball team returned to action on Thursday with a twinbill at Wagner.  The Lady Jaspers (6-16) saw their three-game winning streak come to an end, as the Seahawks (11-17) notched a pair of 10-2 victories at Lower Athletic Field.

Wagner got on the board early in game one, putting up a four-spot in the bottom of the first.  Emily Pierce drew a leadoff walk to start the rally, then came across on Andrea Lazzari's RBI double.  After Amanda Garcia walked, three successive singles knocked in three more runs to give the Seahawks a 4-0 lead.

Manhattan responded with a pair of runs in the top of the second.  The rally started on what should have been the final out of the inning.  Melissa Cascio (Kings Park, N.Y.) struck out, but reached first on a wild pitch, which also allowed Monica Evangelista (Cedar Grove, N.J.) to advance to second.  The Lady Jaspers took advantage of the second chance, as Melissa Donnelly (Long Beach, N.Y.) followed with an RBI single through the middle.  Kristina Walraven (Thompson Ridge, N.Y.) then knocked a single down the left field line to make it 4-2.

The Seahawks increased their lead to 7-2 with three runs in the bottom of the third.  The big hits were a Jaclyn Vanore triple and a two-run double by Hailey Corthell.  Manhattan starter Erika Sullivan (Bay Shore, N.Y.) settled down after that, putting up zeroes in the fourth and fifth before Wagner tacked on three runs in the bottom of the sixth.  Kate Eshelman belted a two-run double to spark the rally, then Vanore roped an RBI single to left.  Vanore's single gave Wagner a 10-2 lead, and the game was called at that point because of the eight-run mercy rule.

Sullivan (0-6) took the loss after surrendering 13 hits in 5.1 innings of work.  She struck out two and walked three.  Eshelman, Vanore and Ashley Olsen each had three hits for the Seahawks.  Vanore also drove in three runs, while Eshelman and Corthell each recorded two RBIs.  Eshelman also scored two runs, as did Andrea Lazzari.

Kaelynn Armenta (5-8) held the Lady Jaspers to just four hits in game one, including three in the two-run second inning.  She didn't allow a hit after the third and retired 11 of the final 13 Manhattan hitters.  The other two reached on errors.  Armenta finished with four strikeouts and one walk in six innings.

The Seahawks struck early again in game two, putting up three runs in the bottom of the first.  Eshelman belted an RBI single, while Vanore drove in another run on a fielder's choice, then Garcia stole home on the back end of a double steal for Wagner's third run.

The Lady Jaspers again responded with a pair of runs in the top of the second.  Amanda Genovese (Bethany, Conn.) whacked a one-out double to left field, then came across on Donnelly's double to right center.  Walraven was up next, and beat out a grounder to short for an infield single.  Donnelly scored on the play, cutting Wagner's lead to 3-2.

After Ashley Rampino (Manalapan, N.J.) shut down the Seahawks in the second and third innings, Wagner tallied three runs in the fourth and four in the fifth.  Olsen started the fourth-inning rally with a pinch-hit RBI double, while Lazzari roped a double off the top of the wall in right field to get the fifth-inning rally started.  Lazzari's double started a stretch of four straight Wagner hits to start the bottom of the fifth, and the Seahawks capped the win with a pair of sacrifice flies.

Manhattan had five hits in game two, all in the first two innings.  Walraven went 2-for-3 with an RBI in the game, while Donnelly was 1-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored.  Genovese also went 1-for-2 and scored a run.  Rampino (5-4) surrendered 12 hits and two walks while striking out two in 4.2 innings.

Wagner belted 12 hits in game two, led by Eshelman's 3-for-3 effort.  She also scored a run and drove in two.  Lazzari was 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles and scored twice, while Pierce and Garcia also went 2-for-3.  Vanore drove in two runs and scored a pair.  Danielle Wagoner (3-0) retired nine of the last 10 Manhattan batters (the other batter reached on an error) to earn the win.  She yielded five hits and two runs while striking out three in a five-inning complete game.