Fairfield, CT (May 20, 2005)- Manhattan's
Steve Bronder went the distance while striking out a season-high 10 batter to lead the Jaspers to a 7-1 win over Fairfield in the nightcap of a MAAC double header this afternoon at Alumni Field on the Stag's campus. The win, coupled with Le Moyne's loss to Siena, clinches a MAAC Tournament berth for the third straight season. Manhattan dropped the opener, 9-2.
In the second game, the Stags scored their only run in the bottom of the first on three of their five hits for the game.
Manhattan scored a run in the top of the second on a
Phil Kuhner RBI single, and a run in the third when
Matt Nevins came home on a wild pitch to take a 2-1 lead, a lead the Jaspers would not relinquish.
The Jaspers would double their lead in the fourth, scoring a run on a
John Maser RBI single and another on an
Eric Nieto sacrifice fly.
Manhattan would add two more in the fifth on a
Nick Derba RBI triple and
John Fitzpatrick single, making the score 6-1 Manhattan.
Gary Diaz would add an RBI single in the sixth to provide the final margin.
After the first inning, Bronder (6-3) allowed just two singles the rest of the way, picking up his career-best sixth win of the season. He walked just one batter.
In the first game, Fairfield scored single runs in the first and second before Manhattan cut the lead in half after a Derba RBI sacrifice fly in the top of the third.
The Stags got the run back in the bottom of the frame, and added two more in the sixth to take a 5-1 lead into the seventh. Diaz plated Maser with an RBI single in the seventh to cut the lead to 5-2, but Fairfield score four runs in the bottom of the eighth to put the game away.
Matt Rizzotti collected three hits on the day, improving his team leading total to 70, one shy of the program's season record.
The two teams will conclude the regular season with a nine-inning game tomorrow, starting at 12 noon. With a win, the Jaspers will be the #3 seed in the upcoming MAAC Playoffs. A loss will drop Manhattan to the #4 seed.
