TROY, NY – Siena Baseball split its Capital Region and Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference opening doubleheader against Manhattan Friday at Robison Field on the campus of nearby RPI. The Saints slugged their way to a 12-7 victory in the opener, before falling 12-6 in the nightcap.
Game One: Siena 12, Manhattan 7
Siena (2-10, 1-1) erupted for five runs in the second before breaking things open with a four-run sixth to take the opener.
Aidan Paradine drove in five runs and
Jeremy Sangalang both scored three times and stole a trio of bases for the Saints who set a season-high in scoring.
After scratching across a run in the first, Siena took complete control early with five runs on four hits in the second, capped by a two-out, two-run single from Paradine.
The Saints added four more in the sixth highlighted by a two-run double by
Jake Sparks to take a commanding 10-2 lead.
Meanwhile,
Alistair Morin faced the minimum through the first four and went five solid allowing just one hit and a pair of runs to secure his first win of the spring.
Game Two: Manhattan 12, Siena 6
Manhattan (5-9, 1-1) scored six two-out runs in the eighth to break a six-all tie and take the nightcap.
Siena again started strong offensively, opening a 4-1 lead through the first two innings highlighted by a three-run homer from Sparks. But the Jaspers claimed the lead with a four-run third, and it was back and forth thereafter until the decisive eighth.
Jeremy Sosa delivered the go-ahead single and Andreaus Lewis added the crowning blow with a two-run double for Manhattan, which registered five, two-out hits in the frame. Lewis drove in five overall, while Aidan Taclas went 3-5 with three runs scored and three RBI.
Sparks finished with three hits and three more RBI to cap a five RBI day at the plate, while Sangalang added two hits and a pair more stolen bases to give him five thefts for the afternoon.
The teams will reconvene for the rubber match of the series Sunday at noon at Bard College's Honey Field in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York.
