Jaspers Host CCSU In Home Opener Wednesday

Riverdale, NY - Manhattan softball will open its home season with a doubleheader against Central Connecticut State Wednesday, March 13 in Gaelic Park. The first game will begin at 1:00 pm.

Game Notes:

Season Overview
Manhattan is 4-5 this season, traveling to Florida for the Madeira Beach Invitational and to Washington, D.C. for the Colonial Classic. The Jaspers have nabbed three wins over Cornell and one from Detroit Mercy. 

Top Performers
Freshman Annie Moore (Northridge, CA / El Camino Real) leads the Jaspers with a .406 batting average in nine games. She has tallied a team-best 10 RBI off 13 hits, also a team-high. Like Moore, Christine Gebhardt (Middletown, NJ / Middletown North) also has 10 RBI for the year, with a team-high three triples. Teammate Lauren Pitney (Ansonia, CT / St. Joseph's) leads Manhattan in slugging percentage (.783) and on-base percentage (.611). She has scored a team-high seven runs and has two homers for the young season. 

Stephanie Kristo (San Jose, CA / Archbishop Mitty) is 3-1 this season from the pitcher's circle, with the lowest team ERA at 3.45. She's holding opponents to a .298 batting average in 24.1 innings pitched. 

Last Outing
The Jaspers lost a 5-4 heartbreaker to George Washington Sunday, March 10, unable to complete a comeback rally late in the game. 

With Manhattan up 2-1 in the bottom of the sixth, GW tipped the scales with a two-out grand slam home run by Jayme Cone in the bottom of the inning to make it 5-2. At bat in the top of the seventh, the Jaspers loaded the bases with one out for Moore, who belted a single to center field to score two, cutting George Washington's lead to 5-4. Gebhardt grounded out to the pitcher on the next at bat, advancing Jasper runners to second and third. But the rally came to an end when Adriana Gambino (Stamford, CT / Westhill) popped up to third base.

About the Blue Devils
CCSU is 5-4 this season, with recent wins over Furman and Seton Hall. Sydney Bolan bats .448 for the Blue Devils, with 11 RBI this season. As a team, CCSU is batting .333 on the year, while opponents are averaging .403.

In the pitcher's circle, Ashley Antonazzo holds a team-best 2.52 ERA, with 4.48 strikeouts per game (seven innings).