POMONA, NY – The Manhattan Jaspers baseball team (15-24, 8-15 MAAC) split the doubleheader against the Golden Griffins of Canisius University (13-22, 9-11 MAAC) by scores of 5-4 and 7-5 from inside Clover Stadium on Friday evening.
GAME ONE
- The Jaspers threatened early to start the series opener, with runners on the corners before Vincent Samuel grounded out to end any threat the Green and White may have posed.
- In the top of the third, catcher Andreaus Lewis continued his stellar play by picking off Canisius's Zwiercki on a steal attempt that halted the inning.
- In the home half of the third, Ryan Lordier doubled down the right field line.
- After the Golden Griffins posted five, the Jaspers showed resiliency and fight to remain in the game. In the sixth inning, after Lewis singled to right with one out, Samuel doubled down the left field line. Followed by Justin Best's sacrifice fly to center and score Lewis from third to break the shutout.
- Manhattan found its groove on the home side of the eighth inning. Lewis led the inning off with a balk before advancing to second on a balk.
- Then, Samuel notched a single to center and put runners on the corners. Two batters later, Trevor Hansen singled to right and scored Lewis for the second time.
- On the next at-bat, Colin Basehore supplied a ground-rule double to right field and scored Samuel. Finally, Jackson Babione registered a pinch-hit ground-out to short and scored Hansen, and shrank Canisius's lead to just one at 5-4.
GAME TWO
- After the comeback from the game, one fell short, the Jaspers made the most out of their strong start in the backend of the twin bill.
- In the home half of the first, Ryan Lordier opened the game with an infield base knock to second, before Salva successfully bunted down the right side to put runners on first and second. After back-to-back punch outs looking for Lewis and Samuel, Justin Best smacked a three-run blast to right field and gave Manhattan its first lead of the afternoon.
- In the fourth inning, the Jaspers' two-out hitting prevailed with Lordier singling up the middle, before Salva followed suit with a single through the right side, and capitalized on Lewis driving home Lordier with a base knock to right for a four-run advantage.
- With the Golden Griffins breaking the shutout and posting its first run in the fifth, the Jaspers responded with two more runs, courtesy of back-to-back singles from Hunter Sute and Trevor Hansen, and Sute crossing the plate off Jackson Brinker's double to left field on the first pitch swinging.
- Manhattan loaded the bases, and Salva was hit on the lower portion to bring home Hansen from third and extend its lead to as much as five.
- In the eighth with two runners aboard, Vincent Samuel singled back to the opposing pitcher to score Ryan Lordier for the seventh run of the game.
- The Golden Griffins made things interesting in the ninth inning with a two-run home run, but it was ultimately not enough in their comeback attempt.
QUOTES FROM THE JASPERS
Head Coach Steven Rosen: "Great to bounce back and get a win after a tough loss. All four pitchers today – Perg [Hudson Pergamit], [Chris] Fidanza, [Jackson] Klein, and [Braedon] Romero were lights out. Proud of them putting us in a position to take both games of a doubleheader. Happy to see the fight in game two."
STATS AND NOTES
- Relief pitcher Chris Fidanza struck out five in 3.2 innings of work, surrendering two hits, one earned run, and one walk in 56 total pitches.
- Catcher Andreaus Lewis continues his strong play and extended his hitting streak to 12 straight games with a combined 3-for-8 afternoon, crossed the plate twice, worked an RBI, walked twice, stole a base, and struck out twice.
- Infielder Vincent Samuel registered a 3-for-8 day, crossed the plate once, smacked a double, and struck out four times. Samuel also stole a base in the second game of the series.
- Outfielder Justin Best hit the fourth home run of his Jasper tenure, with three RBIs, crossed the plate once, was hit by a pitch, and struck out. He also hit a sacrifice fly in the first game to total two hits in the first two games.
- Starting pitcher Jackson Klein performed exceptionally and earned his third win behind eight strikeouts in 5.1 innings of work, and 106 total pitches.
NEXT UP:
The Jaspers return home to Clover Stadium on Sunday, April 26, when the Green and White close the three-game series and rubber game against the Golden Griffins of Canisius University, beginning at 11 a.m. The contest can be viewed on ESPN+ with a paid subscription.
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