Box Score
Box Score
RIVERDALE, N.Y. – The Manhattan College softball team wasn't going to let a little rain stand in its way on Tuesday afternoon. Despite a steady drizzle (which got stronger at times) throughout, the Jaspers (21-24) pounded out 12 hits en route to a 9-7 victory over Sacred Heart (12-30) at Gaelic Park in their final non-conference game of the season. As a result of the weather conditions, game two of the scheduled doubleheader was cancelled.
It started raining just as the game began, but the Jaspers and Pioneers played through without interruption. And the Jasper offense got going right away, as Kate Bowen (Newtown, Conn.) singled on the first pitch in the bottom of the first and Elena Bowman (San Mateo, Calif.) followed with an RBI single. Manhattan loaded the bases after Amanda Paxson (Cedar Grove, N.J.) drew a walk and Sydney Weedon (Santa Ana, Calif.) singled, but Sacred Heart's Jamie Carlson recorded a pair of strikeouts to get out of the jam.
One result of the rain was a wet ball, which led to two Manhattan throwing errors in the top of the second. Sacred Heart ended up scoring four times in the inning to take a 4-2 lead. However, that lead would be short-lived, as the Jaspers put up a six-spot in the bottom half of the inning.
Amy Bright (Manlius, N.Y.) started the rally with a leadoff home run to left, and Bowen belted a game-tying blast to roughly the same spot two batters later. After walks to Bowman and Jenn Vazquez (Fairfield, Conn.), Weedon ripped a double down the left field line that brought in a run. Stephanie Reinhardt (Albany, N.Y.) then knocked a two-run single to the gap in left center before scoring on Mickayla Romero's (Las Vegas, Nev.) base hit through the right side.
The Jaspers picked up two more in the third. Emily Cutler (Bloomingdale, N.J.) led off the inning with an infield single and scored on Bowman's two-run homer to center field. It marked the third straight game in which she went deep, and Bowman now leads the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) with 12 home runs this season.
Sacred Heart notched another unearned tally in the fifth and cut its deficit to 9-7 with a pair of runs in the sixth. However, Danielle Gabriel (Island Heights, N.J.) set the Pioneers down in order for the only time all day in the seventh, wrapping up Manhattan's third straight victory and fourth in its last five games.
Every Manhattan starter reached base at least once, with seven different Jaspers scoring a run and six notching RBIs. Bowman was one of five Manhattan players with a multi-hit game. She finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored and three RBIs. Bowen, meanwhile, was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI, while Reinhardt went 2-for-4 with a run scored and two driven in. Weedon, who snapped an 0-for-30 slump with her first-inning single, ended up 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI. Romero added two singles and an RBI. Gabriel (3-4) went the distance in the circle and yielded seven runs (four earned) on eight hits, struck out three and walked three.
“We got a lot of bats going today, and Dani did a great job pitching considering the conditions,” Head Coach Tom Pardalis said. “It was really important to get the bottom of the lineup going. The more people hitting, the better it becomes for our team. In the beginning of the season, I thought it was important that we hit all the way through the lineup and not depend on one or two people. And today we did that.”
Jenn Robillard went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBIs for the Pioneers. Kelyn Fillmore finished 1-for-4 with an RBI, as Sacred Heart collected eight hits as a team. Carlson lasted 1.1 innings in the circle. She was charged with four runs on five hits with three strikeouts and two walks. Adrianna Mallory (6-10) took the loss after giving up five runs on five hits while striking out one and walking one in one inning of work. Taylor Lane pitched the final 3.2 innings and limited the Jaspers to no runs and just two hits. She also struck out two and walked two.
Manhattan's magic number to clinch a spot in the MAAC Tournament is two, and the Jaspers (9-7 MAAC) will have their first chance to secure a berth on Saturday, when first-place Fairfield (19-19, 14-4 MAAC) comes to Riverdale for a 12 p.m. twinbill. It will be Manhattan's final home doubleheader of the season, and Bowen will be honored between games as a part of the Senior Day ceremonies.
