Buffalo, NY - Freshmen Nick Cimillo (Airmont, NY / Suffern) and Sam Franco (Bardonia, NY / Clarkstown South) combined to go 6-for-15 with four extra base hits, six RBI and three runs as Manhattan (8-18; 1-2 MAAC) split a doubleheader with Canisius (11-16; 5-1 MAAC) at the Demske Sports Complex.
The Jaspers took the nightcap by a 5-4 count after dropping the opener 3-2.
Game Two
Cimillo went 2-for-4 with a home run, double and two runs while Franco was 2-for-4 with a three-run triple to lift Manhattan to a thrilling 5-4 come-from-behind win over the Golden Griffins.
Canisius opened the scoring with three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, only to see the Jaspers rally with three to tie it up in the top of the fifth.
Junior Alex Cerda (Miami, FL / Florida Christian School) and freshman Jonathan Barditch (Miami, FL / Belen Jesuit Prep) were each plunked while sophomore Matt Padre (Flemington, NJ / Hunterdon Central) walked to load up the bases with two outs. Franco followed with a bases-clearing triple to knot up the score at 3-3.
In the sixth, Cimillo led off with his team-leading fifth home run to give Manhattan a 4-3 advantage.
The Golden Griffins would tie game up at 4-4 in the seventh with an unearned run, only to again feel the wrath of Cimillo in the top of the eighth. The rookie standout doubled with two outs, before scoring on back-to-back wild pitches.
Canisius would put the tying run on second with two outs in the ninth, only to be denied by senior RHP Joe DiTorrice (Montgomery, NJ / Montgomery) induced a game-ending fly out to cement the victory.
DiTorrice struck out four while yielding a single unearned run on three hits over 5.0 dominating innings of relief in moving to 3-0 on the year. Senior RHP Ryan Takacs (Jackson, NY / Jackson Memorial) was solid in collecting a no-decision, surrendering one earned run over 4.0 innings with three strikeouts.
Freshman Keury Abreu (Bronx, NY / St. Raymond) also had a nice game on offense, singling, scoring and drawing two walks.
Jake Burlingame was 2-for-5 to pace a nine-hit Golden Griffin attack.
Game One
Junior RHP T.J. Stuart (Milford, CT / Joseph A. Foran) was solid in firing his second-straight complete game, but it wasn't enough as the Golden Griffins took the opener by a 3-2 count.
Canisius posted the first major threat of the game in the bottom of the second, loading up the bases with one out only to be denied by Stuart, who struck out the next two batters to evade trouble.
Manhattan then broke through in the top of the third with a two-out rally. Freshman Jonathan Barditch (Miami, FL / Belen Jesuit Prep) doubled down the line before coming around to score on Franco's first RBI hit of the day.
The Golden Griffins got that run back in the bottom of the frame as Andy Leader walked with one out and stole second, before advancing to third on a ground out. Leader then came in to score on a wild pitch.
Cimillo immediately answered in the top of the fourth, crushing a home run on the first pitch he saw in giving Manhattan a 2-1 lead.
Connor Morro tied it up in the bottom part of the frame with a solo home run, before Mike Steffan tripled. Steffan then scored on a Joseph Preziuso sacrifice fly to give Canisius a 3-2 advantage.
The Golden Griffins threatened to add to the lead in the bottom of the fifth as Burlingame doubled, before moving to third on a fly out. However, Stuart buckled down and struck out the next batter, before inducing an inning-ending ground out.
In the top of the sixth, sophomore Matt Padre (Flemington, NJ / Hunterdon Central) doubled with two outs, before freshman David Moffett (Oneida, NY / Vernon-Verona-Sherrill Senior) singled. However, on the play Padre was gunned out at the plate.
Manhattan would again threaten in the top of the seventh, as sophomore Santiago Riera (Rioclaro, Venezuela / Brunswick School (CT)) led off with a single before moving to second on a one-out walk to junior Dominic Palma (Hilton, NY / Hilton). Unfortunately, closer RHP Will Frank got the next two batters in collecting his fourth save of the year.
Stuart yielded runs on six hits with six strikeouts, against three walks, over 6.0 innings.
Eight of the nine regulars hit safely for the visitors.
RHP Nolan Hunt earned the win, striking out four while yielding two runs on seven hits over 6.0 innings.