Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score
FAIRFIELD, Conn. – After coming up on the short end of a 2-1 decision in the first game, the Manhattan College softball team (20-24) rallied for a 6-4 victory over Sacred Heart (23-27) in game two of a non-conference doubleheader at Pioneer Park on Tuesday.
Game one was a classic pitcher's duel between Kate Bowen (Newtown, Conn.) and Adrianna Mallory. The Jaspers got on the board first when Bowen started a two-out rally in the top of the third. She ripped a single to left field, then moved to second on a wild pitch before scoring on an RBI single by Elena Bowman (San Mateo, Calif.). Amanda Babcock (Haverstraw, N.Y.) followed with a base hit to left, but Mallory struck out Amanda Paxson (Cedar Grove, N.J.) to end the inning.
It looked like that one run would be enough for Bowen, though. She retired the first 10 Pioneers she faced before Jenn Robillard's one-out single in the fourth. Bowen walked the next hitter, but fielded a comebacker herself for the second out, then induced a fly ball to center to end the inning.
The Jaspers had a chance to add to their lead in the top of the seventh, as Mickayla Romero (Las Vegas, Nev.) and Emily Cutler (Bloomingdale, N.J.) both singled before Bowen reached on an error. However, Manhattan left the bases loaded, as Bowman grounded into a fielder's choice for the third out.
In the bottom of the seventh, Bowen walked the first two hitters before Mallory bunted the winning runs into scoring position with one out. After Wendi Westmark walked to load the bases, pinch hitter Nicole Deissler connected on a single to left that tied the game. Kate Nadler was up next, and she was hit by a pitch, forcing in the winning run and giving Sacred Heart a 2-1 victory.
Bowman had two hits and Manhattan's only RBI in the game, while Meghan McDevitt (Nutley, N.J.) crushed a double. Bowen (9-8), who also went 1-for-4 with a run scored at the plate, also went the distance in the circle. She yielded two runs on three hits, walked four and struck out two in 6.1 innings.
Sacred Heart was held to just three hits in the contest, a pair of singles by Robillard and Deissler's RBI single. Mallory (4-8) gave up one run and eight hits while striking out four and walking one in a complete game effort.
In game two, Manhattan took an early lead with a three-spot in the third. Jocelin Whitmore (La Habra, Calif.) walked leading off the inning, then moved all the way to third on Cutler's sacrifice bunt. Bowen was up next, and she drove in a run with a single through the right side. After Bowman singled, the Jaspers loaded the bases when Babcock reached on an error. With two out, Sydney Weedon (Santa Ana, Calif.) made it 3-0 with a single to center field. However, she got caught in a rundown between first and second, and was tagged out to end the inning.
The Jaspers picked up another run on Bowen's RBI single in the top of the fourth, but Sacred Heart responded with a tally of its own on an Annie Dreher triple in the bottom half of the inning. Romero ripped an RBI single in the top of the fifth, then Manhattan increased its lead to 6-1 on a Bowen double in the sixth.
After Sacred Heart plated a run on three consecutive walks and a Robillard RBI single in the bottom of the sixth, Amy Bright (Manlius, N.Y.) came on in relief of Manhattan starter Kelsi Redding (Tucson, Ariz.). Bright struck out Dreher before pinch hitter Nicole Sidor pulled the Pioneers within 6-4 with a ground rule double to left center. With the tying run now on second base, Bright struck out Justine Sibthorp looking, then left the runners stranded when she got Kacie Wentworth on a grounder to short. Bright then set Sacred Heart down in order in the bottom of the seventh to nail down the save.
As a team, Manhattan collected 12 hits in game two, with Bowen going 3-for-5 with a run scored and two RBIs. Weedon was 2-for-4 with a run scored and two RBIs, while Bowman went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run. Romero added two hits, a run scored and an RBI. Redding (4-6) earned the win after surrendering four runs on six hits while striking out four and walking eight over five innings. Bright tossed two innings of shutout relief, allowing one hit and striking out three.
Dreher collected two of Sacred Heart's seven hits in the contest. She finished 2-for-4 with an RBI. Robillard, meanwhile, was 1-for-4 with a run scored and a RBI, while Sidor knocked in two runs on her pinch-hit double. Wentworth (6-4) took the loss after giving up five runs (three earned) and nine hits in five innings in the circle. She also walked four and struck out one. Taylor Lane went the final two innings, yielding an unearned run on three hits with a walk and a strikeout.
Manhattan, which still has an outside chance of qualifying for the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Tournament, concludes the regular season on Thursday with a doubleheader against future MAAC opponent Quinnipiac (15-31). The first game of the twinbill at QU Softball Field gets underway at 2:30 p.m.
