BRONX, NY – The Manhattan Jaspers Baseball team (11-18, 4-11 MAAC) took down its in-borough rival, Rams of Fordham University (14-17, 6-6 A10) by a score of 12-8 inside Houlihan Park on Tuesday afternoon.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Jaspers jumped out to a very early lead in the first inning, with Ryan Lordier getting the contest started with a leadoff single down the right field line.
- Then, Lordier stole second, before Guriyandel Salva and Hunter Sute posted back-to-back singles. To capitalize on the lead in hand, Vincent Samuel broke the game open with a three-run blast to right field to make it a 4-0 Jasper lead.
- After the Rams cut the Jasper lead to as little as three, Sute opened the third inning with a double to center, before Andreaus Lewis drove a single to left-center field.
- Two batters later, Jackson Babione singled up the middle for a five-run lead and allowed Vincent Samuel to cross the plate.
- Fordham cut Manhattan's lead to as little as two before Sute singled through the right side in the fourth inning and drove home Payton Matthews for a 7-4 lead.
- With the game tied at seven in the eighth inning, Matthews made his presence known and scored the go-ahead run in Babione, who scored from third.
- Another two batters later, Salva posted a perfect bunt and suicide squeeze to force Matthews to score the much-needed Jasper insurance tally.
- In the ninth inning, the Jaspers added onto their one-run lead to as much as four, with a Lordier sacrifice fly, before Salva posted another two RBIs for the clincher against its in-borough rivals.
STATS AND NOTES
- Infielder Ryan Lordier paced the Jaspers with a 3-for-4 afternoon, with one RBI on a sacrifice fly, and was plunked once.
- Catcher Hunter Sute posted a 3-for-6 day, crossing the plate twice, and registering two RBI's with a double.
- Infielder Guriyandel Salva logged a 3-for-6 stat line with three RBI's and crossed the plate once.
- Outfielder Payton Matthews registered a 2-for-4 afternoon with one RBI, one strikeout, and crossed the plate a game-high three times.
- Infielder Vincent Samuel added a three-run home run in a 2-for-3 afternoon, with three RBI's, two walks, and two runs scored.
- In the bullpen game, starting pitcher Matthew Steinberg posted two innings of work, surrendering six hits and one walk but punching out three batters in 55 pitches.
QUOTES FROM THE JASPERS
Head Coach Steven Rosen: "Great to get back in the win column. Especially great to beat our crosstown rival in the Bronx. We take great pride in honoring the Bronx borough and Manhattan University, so we feel proud of the way we represented our local community today. It was an awesome team win that involved 13 position players and another five pitchers. Really tough day at the park to hit with the conditions, but happy with the way we manufactured and executed team offense."
NEXT UP:
The Green and White resume conference play on Friday, April 10, when the Jaspers open a three-game conference series against the Saints of Siena University, inside Clover Stadium, for a 6 p.m. first pitch. The contest can be viewed on ESPN+ with a paid subscription.
Follow Manhattan Baseball on X and Instagram (@JaspersBaseball).
