RIVERDALE, N.Y. – Manhattan split a Monday doubleheader with Central Connecticut at Gaelic Park.
The Jaspers sit at 2-7 on the season and Central Connecticut moved to 3-4 with the split.
Game 1: Central Connecticut 6, Manhattan 3
Central Connecticut scored four times in the top of the seventh inning to come back and clip the Jaspers.
The first run scored on an error. Kim Howard followed with a two-run double to right center to break the 3-3 tie. Paige Stringer brought home Howard to conclude the scoring when she put the first pitch of her at-bat.
Manhattan took a 3-2 lead on a bases-clearing double from
Marika Deemer in the fifth. The Jaspers loaded the bases with two away. Deemer's double went all the way to the wall in right-center.
The Blue Devils' 2-0 lead came from a pair of solo homers. Stringer led off the second with a blast to center, and Brooke Fendison did the same to start the fifth.
Mollie Charest pitched a complete game for the Jaspers and took the loss. Charest was only charged with two earned runs, as all four in the seventh from Central Connecticut were unearned.
Game 2: Manhattan 7, Central Connecticut 6
The Jaspers built a 7-0 lead behind two home runs from
Tajiana Pickett before holding on late against the Blue Devils in game two.
Both homes were two-run shots. The first came in the third inning when the sophomore brought home
Marika Deemer to make it 4-0 Manhattan. The second blast also brought home Deemer in the fifth as the Jasper lead grew to 7-0.
Central Connecticut trailed 7-0 when it came to bat in the sixth. The Blue Devils then scored four runs in the frame. Back-to-back doubles brought in the first three runs for the visitors. Grace Lawton brought in the final run of the inning with an infield single.
In the seventh, the Blue Devils pushed two more across before stranding the tying run at first base. A double started the inning before Meg Gorman tripled in a run. A Stringer single followed to make it 7-6 Manhattan.
Makayla Veneziale went the distance for the Jaspers and picked up her first win of the season.
The Jaspers return to action this weekend in Lubbock, Texas, for five games starting Friday against New Mexico and the hosts, Texas Tech.
For the latest on the Manhattan College softball program, follow the Jaspers on Twitter and Instagram @JaspersSoftball.
