LOUDONVILLE, NY – Manhattan swept doubleheader action from Siena Baseball Sunday at Connors Park to take three of four in the weekend series. The Jaspers won the opener 13-11 in an extended eight-inning affair, and captured the nightcap 7-4 in a contest that was re-set to seven innings.
Game 1: Manhattan 13, Siena 11 (8)
Manhattan (6-12) rallied with four runs with their backs against the wall in the seventh and then scored twice in the extra inning in the eighth to emerge in a wild opener. Siena (6-14) had scored 10 unanswered runs punctuated by an eight-run sixth to overcome a 7-1 fourth inning deficit.
The Jaspers scored in each of the first four innings to take a commanding six-run lead. The Saints scored a pair in the fourth to move within striking distance before going in front with their massive sixth inning. Siena sent a whopping 14 men to the plate, with each of the first eight reaching base safely.
Bryce Porter and
Carson Dunkel capped the frame with a pair of two-run hits to stake the Saints to an 11-7 lead heading into the final frame.
But Manhattan responded with the four tying runs in the top of the seventh in the see-saw affair, with Will Trochiano delivering the game-tying three-run homer with two outs. The Jaspers then carried over the momentum to extras to secure the win.
Pat O'Hare registered four of Siena's 11 hits, while Dunkel and
Donovan Montgomery each reached base three times. The Saints also tallied a season-high five steals.
Game 2: Manhattan 7, Siena 4 (7)
A pitcher's duel through the first four and a half innings evaporated late with Manhattan prevailing thanks to a seven-run sixth.
After facing the minimum 12 hitters through the first four innings, the Saints rallied against Kyle Lesler in the fifth. Siena scored three times thanks to their No. 8 and No. 9 hitters, as
Bryce Mordecki notched a sacrifice fly and
Kobe Stenson followed with a two-out, two-run single to give the Saints a 3-0 lead.
But the advantage was short lived as the Jaspers broke through with seven runs on seven hits in the sixth. Manhattan also received another big effort from its No. 9 hitter, as Jake Knop capped the frame with a three-run homer for his third long ball of the weekend.
Siena returns to the diamond for its first mid-week action this spring, when the Saints travel down I-87 to take on Marist Wednesday for a twin bill beginning at noon in Poughkeepsie.
