Manhattan rattled off a seven-run first inning and recorded a decisive three-run fifth to complete the series sweep of Siena Baseball with a 10-7 triumph in the finale at Dutchess Stadium. The teams combined to score all 17 runs over the first four innings in a wild start.
Siena (9-22, 4-8) battled back with seven unanswered runs in the second and third innings to quickly erase the early Manhattan (14-21, 7-2) advantage. The Jaspers had batted around in sending 12 men to the plate in the first inning, with Matt Padre's grand slam serving as the definitive blow.
Freshman
Evan St. Claire, who knocked in a team-high three RBI, got the Saints on the board with a two-run single in the second. Siena then sent nine men to the dish in the third, scoring five runs on five hits to draw even at 7-7.
Craig Corliss (two-run double),
Zach Durfee (RBI double), St. Claire (RBI groundout), and
Nico Ramos (RBI double) all tallied RBI in the frame.
But Manhattan answered last, piecing together a three-run fourth to reclaim the lead for good. Padre, who drove in a game-high five runs, delivered what proved to be the game-winning RBI single, while Keury Abreu followed with a two-run single to cap the scoring for the Jaspers which have won eight straight at home and secured their second straight conference series sweep.
Both teams pitching staffs settled in thereafter, as Manhattan held the Saints to five hits and no runs over the final six innings, while a pair of Siena hurlers limited the Jaspers to just one hit over their final four at-bats.
All nine Siena batters in the starting lineup had reached base, eight recorded hits, and six scored runs by the time the third inning ended. Eventually, all nine starters recorded hits as part of a 13-hit effort.
Devan Kruzinski tallied a pair of hits, scored twice, and reached base four times in defeat.
The Saints return to the Capital Region to begin a stretch where they play 14 of their next 17 at Connors Park when they host Central Connecticut in non-conference action Tuesday at 3 p.m.
