Manhattan University Athletics

Game One: Box Score (HTML) | Box Score (PDF)
Game Two: Box Score (HTML) | Box Score (PDF)

Wappingers Falls, NY - Manhattan opened MAAC play with a doubleheader split against Monmouth at Dutchess Stadium, winning the opener 6-5 in walk-off fashion before dropping a 5-4 decision in game two.

The Jaspers are now 7-15 and 1-1 in the MAAC while the Hawks are 13-13 and 4-1 in the league.

Game 1 Recap:
Freshman Fabian Pena's (Miami, FL / Calusa Prep) walk-off RBI single capped a three-hit performance while lifting Manhattan to a thrilling 6-5 win over Monmouth at Dutchess Stadium.

Pena went 3-for-4 with a double, two RBI while also throwing out three runners trying to steal while senior Christian Santisteban (Miami, FL / Gulliver Prep) also went 3-for-4 with a double while scoring three runs to highlight a 13-hit attack on offense.

Trailing 5-4 with one out in the bottom of the ninth, the Jaspers began their comeback when Joe Credendino (Wappingers Falls, NY / OCC) notched his second hit of the game, a line-drive single to left field. After moving to second on a wild pitch, junior Jose Carrera ((Miami, FL / St. Brendan) laced a game-tying RBI double to left field. Santisteban was then intentionally walked before the pair moved to second-and-third on a wild pitch. Pena followed by plating Carrera with a two-strike single up the middle to give Manhattan aforementioned 6-5 victory.

Junior Shawn Kanwisher (Washington Township, NJ / St. Joseph Regional) moved to 3-2 with the win, striking out six over 3.1 electric innings of relief in which the Garden State native allowed just one hit.

Freshman Richie Barrella (Larchmont, NY / Canterbury Prep) opened the scoring with a two-out, run-scoring single that plated Santisteban in the first. The Hawks immediately responded with three runs in the top of the second before adding another run in taking a 4-1 lead.

The Jaspers got one of those runs back in the bottom of the third on another Barrella RBI single before tying it up at 4-4 in the bottom of the fifth on a Pena RBI double and a perfectly-executed Michael Pfenninger (So., Flemington, NJ / Hunterdon Central) suicide squeeze.

Monmouth reclaimed the lead at 5-4 in the top of the sixth but couldn't get any more against the stout Kanwisher, who set the stage for Manhattan's dramatic victory.

Four different players had two hits as the visitors rapped out 12 for the game.

Game 2 Recap:
In the nightcap, the Hawks scored five runs in the fifth en route to posting a 5-4 come-from-behind victory over the Jaspers.

Manhattan struck quickly with three runs in the bottom of the second. Barrella led off with a single before moving to second when sophomore Brendan Bisset (New City, NY / Don Bosco Prep) was plunked. Sophomore Anthony Rondon (Miami, FL / Mater Academy Lakes) then moved the pair over with a successful sacrifice bunt while reaching on a throwing error as Barrella scampered home with the first run. Later in the frame, Santisteban capped the scoring with a two-out, two-run single.

The Jaspers would add to the lead the next time up when Rondon scored Barrella with a two-out triple to right center to extend the lead out to 4-0.

After being held without a hit over the first four frames, Monmouth rallied with five runs while batting around in the top of the fifth in taking what would prove to be an insurmountable 5-4 advantage.

Manhattan rallied in the bottom of the seventh with a one-out Santisteban double, but the Sunshine State native could get no closer  as the visitors picked up a doubleheader split against the Jaspers.

Barrella was 3-for-3 with a run while Santisteban had two hits and two RBI to lead the way on offense.

Junior LHP Joe Jacques (Shrewsbury, NJ / Red Bank Regional) allowed two runs on two hits over 2.2 innings in being saddled with the loss.

Ricky Dennis moved to 4-2 on the year, striking out five while surrendering four runs, one earned, over 5.0 innings. Jordan McCrum picked up his first career save with 2.0 innings of one-hit relief.

The teams will condlude their three-game set with a single game starting at 12:00 pm on Monday, April 4 at Dutchess Stadium.