Box Score
QUEENS, NY – On Sunday afternoon, the Manhattan College softball team concluded the St. John's Invitational with a matchup against Fairleigh Dickinson. And the Jaspers (9-7) brought their bats, posting four multi-run innings in an 11-2 victory over the Knights (3-13) at Red Storm Field.
Manhattan's offense got going right away. In the top of the first, Elena Bowman (San Mateo, CA) drew a one-out walk and Jenn Vazquez (Fairfield, CT) followed with a single. Stephanie Reinhardt (Albany, NY) then roped a double to right center that gave the Jaspers a 2-0 lead.
The Jaspers added three more in the top of the third. After Rachael Mumma (Mechanicsburg, PA) reached on an error, Emily Cutler (Bloomingdale, NJ) walked. On a double-steal, the throw to third sailed into left field, allowing Mumma to score. Cutler went to take third on the play, and that throw went into left, too, giving Manhattan a 4-0 lead. Bowman then deposited the next pitch over the center field fence for her fourth home run of the tournament.
Fairleigh Dickinson cut its deficit to 5-2 with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second, but Manhattan countered with two in the fourth. Mumma again got the rally started with a walk, then, after Cutler reached on an error and Bowman walked to load the bases, Vazquez hit one down the left field line that landed for a two-run single and a 7-2 Jaspers lead.
In the top of the fifth, Manhattan increased its advantage to 11-2. Kat Prevo (San Diego, CA) led off the inning with a walk before Shannon Puthe (Mullica Hill, NJ) doubled her to third. Mumma then drove in a run on a groundout and Cutler followed with an RBI single that put the Jaspers up 9-2. After Alexa Dawid (Milford, CT) and Bowman both walked to load the bases, Briana Matazinsky (Valley Falls, NY) singled home another run. Reinhardt worked a bases loaded walk to make it 11-2, and Stephanie Kristo (San Jose, CA) worked around a pair of base runners in the bottom of the fifth to close out victory.
Kristo (4-2) allowed two runs on five hits, struck out two and walked two in the five-inning complete game. Offensively, Manhattan recorded eight hits, with Reinhardt going 2-for-3 with three RBIs. Vazquez finished 2-for-4 with a run scored and two RBIs, while Bowman reached base all three times, drawing three walks to go along with her home run. Cutler scored three times, and Mumma added two runs.
Reanna Cervantes went 2-for-2 with a run scored and an RBI for the Knights. Cheryl Lopez was 1-for-2 at the plate, and she tossed one inning in the circle, yielding four runs on three hits and four walks. Starting pitcher Loren Stavrou (0-4) took the loss after surrendering seven runs (three earned) on five hits with four walks and a strikeout in four innings of work.
After playing nine straight away from home, Manhattan returns to Gaelic Park on Thursday for the first time since March 1. The Jaspers will face LIU Brooklyn (11-19) in a single game at 4:30 p.m.