RIVERDALE, NY (April 25, 2003) - The Manhattan College softball team split a MAAC doubleheader with first-place Saint Peter's Friday afternoon in only their second home doubleheader of the season. After dropping the first game 8-0 in five innings, the Lady Jaspers got even with a 7-0 shutout in the nightcap to end their 11-game losing streak. Manhattan is now 8-23 overall and 3-5 in the MAAC, while Saint Peter's moves to 20-11 overall and 10-4 in the conference.
The Peahens' Kathryn Bucco pitched a complete-game shutout in the first game, allowing just three hits while striking out six batters. After Teresa Winder homered to start the scoring in the first inning, the Peahens batted around for five runs on six basehits in the top of the second to assume a 6-0 lead. After a scoreless third inning, the Peahens tacked on two more runs in the top of the fourth on an RBI-double by Danielle Bronner and a run-scoring single by Jen Cordero. The Lady Jaspers put together a two-out rally in the bottom of the inning, as
Stephanie Haller (Poland, OH) and Jen McCracken (Wappingers Falls, NY) connected for back-to-back singles. But
Jen Kamph (Ozone Park, NY) struck out to end the game.
Candice Aulogia (New Windsor, NY) took the loss, working all five innings and allowing eight runs on 12 hits with five strikeouts and two walks. She is now 3-6 on the season.
In the second game the Lady Jasper bats came alive as Manhattan scored seven runs on 13 basehits to snap its 11-game losing streak. The seven runs were the second-most allowed by the Peahen pitching staff this season. Senior
Melinda Whitaker (Saugerties, NY) started things off with a bang in the bottom of the first when she belted her third homerun of the season, a two-run shot, off starter Robin Freels. Manhattan added two more runs in the bottom of the second on an RBI-single by
Erika Kostik (Orangeburg, NY) and a sacrifice fly by McCracken to extend the lead to 4-0.
Starter
Brianne Illanovsky (Matamoras, PA) pitched brilliantly the entire game. In the top of the third, she walked the first two batters but got out of the jam by getting the next two hitters to pop up and forced cleanup hitter Aimee Barsalona to lineout to Whitaker to end the threat. The Lady J's then sent eight batters to the plate in the bottom of the inning and scored three more runs to balloon the lead to 7-0. Meg Jurkowski (Seymour, CT), Kostik and
Margaret LaFex (Syracuse, NY) delivered run-scoring basehits in the inning.
Illanovsky, now 2-6, was in complete control, as she retired 12 of the 16 batters she faced in the final four innings. She scattered four hits on the afternoon and struck out five for her first complete game shutout of the season.
LaFex was 3-4 in the game with an RBI, while McCracken, Whitaker, Jurkowski and Kostik also had multi-hit games.
Manhattan returns to action on Sunday at St. John's for a non-conference doubleheader beginning at 12 Noon.
