Box Score
RIVERDALE, N.Y. - Twenty days after earning a thrilling walk-off victory over Fordham at Van Cortlandt Park, the Manhattan baseball team defeated the Rams for the second time in 2012 by earning a 6-4 win on Tuesday at Houlihan Park. The Jaspers scored four runs in the seventh inning to rally for a lead it would not relinquish. Senior designated hitter Matt Troisi led Manhattan (21-23) with two RBI and sophomore closer Jacob Marchus was flawless in the ninth inning to earn his fourth save of the season.
The Jaspers received 5 2/3 innings from sophomore starting pitcher Scott McClennan who had two strikeouts and limited Fordham (19-29) to only two earned runs. Freshman pitcher Michael Scarinci was called on to get the final out of the sixth inning stranding a runner on third base and senior Mike Giordano pitched an efficient eighth inning in his first appearance since March 24 after recovering from an injury.
Manhattan junior centerfielder Anthony Vega's bunt single in the fifth inning got Joe Rock home to break the scoreless tie. Fordham answered right back in the bottom of the fifth inning with senior first baseman Brian Kownacki's RBI double down the left field line.
Joe McClennan's sacrifice fly in the sixth inning pushed in junior catcher Ramon Ortega after his lead off double and put Manhattan on top 2-1. Ortega had two hits, scored two runs and drove in one run to help power the Jaspers' offense.
The Rams responded again in the bottom of the frame, this time putting up two runs to take their first lead of the ballgame (3-2). Sophomore shortstop Brendan Maghini locked the game at two with a sacrifice fly, and then senior left fielder Stephen McSherry's single to left center field led to a throwing error that allowed the go ahead run to come in.
Manhattan's timely two-out seventh inning rally featured four runs on five hits that gave the Jaspers pitching staff enough cushion to hold off the Rams. Juniors Nick Camastro and Kyle Murphy got on with back-to-back singles setting it up for Ortega to tie the game at 3-3 with a RBI single. Jaspers' sophomore right fielder Andrew Gorecki delivered a RBI single to break the tie and Troisi sent a two-RBI single through the right side that gave Manhattan a 6-3 advantage.
The Rams stranded two runners on base in the seventh inning. Giordano struck out two of the three outs in the eighth inning as Fordham scored one unearned run after a throwing error. Marchus retired all three Rams that he faced in order in the ninth to wrap up the victory.
Rock continued his hot hitting posting two hits, including a double, which marked the fifth multi-hit effort in his last eight starts. Ortega posted his team leading 38th RBI and Vega stole his 24th base putting him in a tie for fourth place on the program's single season steals list. Scarinci earned credit for the win, his fifth of the season.
Manhattan will attempt to carry its momentum into the weekend when it returns to MAAC action at Fairfield. The Jaspers will begin the three game set on Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at noon.
