NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – The Manhattan Jaspers softball team (15-31, 10-14 MAAC), combining for 17 runs across 18 innings, split their pair of conference contests against the Purple Eagles from Niagara (5-31, 4-19 MAAC), by the final scores of 7-1 and 10-14 at Niagara Softball Field on Friday afternoon.
GAME ONE: Manhattan 7, Niagara 1
- Offense came at a slow pace to start the afternoon, as the two teams combined for only four hits across the first three frames.
- As the first batter in the fourth inning, Samantha Kelly connected on her third home run of 2026 to get the scoring started and put the Jaspers on top first.
- After the Purple Eagles tied the contest in the home half, Manhattan put together three runs in the fifth, capped by Lainey Brown's two-RBI double to score Kelly and Brianna Estevez.
- Starter Karissa Spring kept the Niagara bats at bay for much of the contest, only allowing one hit after the fourth inning.
- While no runs came across over the next two, the Green and White added insurance runs in the seventh after another RBI double from Brown and a Sophia Kiseloski RBI single to increase the lead to 7-1.
- Despite getting a leadoff single in the seventh, Niagara couldn't generate any further momentum to end the matinee.
GAME TWO: Manhattan 10, Niagara 14
- Contrary to game one, runs wasted no time gettin got the plate, as eight runs were scored by the end of the second inning.
- A two-run single put Niagara on top early, but a Brown home run and Kiseloski single evened the game back up at two apiece.
- In the bottom of the second, the home team ignited for four more runs off of two RBI doubles.
- Continuing the back-and-forth, Natalye DeBus doubled to score Kelly early in the third, while a bases loaded walk from Jamie Falotico cut the deficit to one.
- Two insurance runs came home off throwing errors for Niagara in the bottom half to go up by three.
- Manhattan roared back with a four-run fourth inning, as Caitlin Gaetani's single scored Kiseloski to take a 9-8 advantage.
- Wasting no time, Niagara scored five in the bottom of the fourth, going up four 13-9.
- DeBus homered in the top of the fifth to put double digits on the scoreboard.
- The Green and White were unable to get any more runs to the plate across the final two innings, finalizing the day's split.
STATS AND NOTES
- Freshman infielder Lainey Brown led the team in hits on the day with six total, three in each game, and hitting her eighth home run of 2026, second place amongst the Jaspers.
- Senior utility player Sophia Kiseloski followed just behind with four hits on the afternoon, two in each game.
- Junior pitcher Karissa Spring held the most impressive showing in the pitching circle, going a full seven innings in the matinee while allowing only one earned run off of four hits.
NEXT UP:
Manhattan will continue its 2026 campaign tomorrow, April 26, when they conclude on their final road trip of the season to Western New York to square off against the Purple Eagles from Niagara. First pitch is scheduled for 12:00 PM from Niagara Softball Field, streamed live on ESPN+ with a paid subscription.
Follow Manhattan Softball on X (@JaspersSoftball) and Instagram (@jasperssoftball).
