Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score
NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. ? Due to rain in the Buffalo area that washed out its doubleheader at Canisius on Saturday, the Manhattan College softball team had to wait an extra day to begin its Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) campaign. The wait was worth it, as the Lady Jaspers (8-16, 2-0 MAAC) got their MAAC season underway with a doubleheader sweep at Niagara (14-11, 0-2 MAAC) on Sunday afternoon. The Lady Jaspers posted a 9-6 victory in the first game, then notched an 8-4 win in the nightcap at Niagara Field.
In game one, Niagara jumped out to an early lead on Teresa Healy's two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning. After the Lady Jaspers got on the board with a run in the top of the second, Kayla Hines belted a two-run home run to center that gave the Purple Eagles a 5-1 lead in the bottom of the third.
Manhattan batted around in the top of the fourth, putting up a six-spot to take the lead. Carla Velasquez (Miami, Fla.) got the rally started with a one-out double to right. Velasquez scored on a fielding error as Amanda Genovese (Bethany, Conn.) singled to center, then Genovese came around on Melissa Donnelly's (Long Beach, N.Y.) RBI double. Kristina Walraven (Thompson Ridge, N.Y.) and Erika Sullivan (Bay Shore, N.Y.) each roped an RBI single before Ashley Rampino (Manalapan, N.J.) capped the rally with a two-run homer to center field.
The Lady Jaspers added two more runs in the top of the fifth. After Manhattan loaded the bases with two out, Walraven belted a single to left that knocked in two runs and gave the Lady Jaspers a 9-5 lead. Niagara converted Healy's leadoff single into a run in the bottom of the seventh to finish off the scoring.
Walraven was 3-for-5 with three RBIs in the game, as Manhattan belted 12 hits as a team. Velasquez went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles and scored a pair of runs, while Kara Cokeley (Pearl River, N.Y.) also had two hits. Genovese scored two runs and Rampino knocked in two on her home run. In addition to going 2-for-4 at the plate, Donnelly (2-6) went the distance in the circle. She yielded six runs (three earned) and nine hits while striking out four and walking three.
For the Purple Eagles, Hines went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored, while Healy was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a pair of runs scored. Maggie McDonald also scored twice for the Purple Eagles. Julie DeMatteo (6-3) got the start in the circle and went four innings. She gave up seven runs (six earned) and eight hits while striking out three. Katie Gleiser worked the last three innings, yielding two runs and four hits with two strikeouts and three walks.
In game two, it was Manhattan that jumped out to the early lead, as the Lady Jaspers put up a four-spot in the top of the first. The first run came across when Velasquez drew a bases-loaded walk, then Genovese belted an RBI single to right. Manhattan added two more runs on a fielding error.
After the Purple Eagles got a run in the bottom of the first, Manhattan put up single runs in each of the next four innings. Walraven doubled to left leading off the top of the second, and she came home on a single to center by Nicole Michel (Massapequa, N.Y.). Kristin Sito belted a two-run homer for Niagara in the bottom of the second, but Walraven was at the heart of another Manhattan rally in the top of the third. She doubled to left for the second straight inning (her third hit of the game) to drive in Donnelly and put the Lady Jaspers up 6-3.
Michel scored on a Genovese sacrifice fly in the fourth, then tacked on a final run on a Donnelly RBI double in the top of the fifth. In the bottom of the seventh, Niagara capped the scoring when McDonald singled home Kristin Kill, who had tripled.
Manhattan had 12 hits in game two, as well. Walraven went 3-for-4 to complete a 6-for-9 day. She scored two runs and drove in another in the nightcap. Donnelly was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored, while Genovese had two RBIs in the second game. In addition to going 3-for-4 at the plate, Rampino (6-4) threw a complete game in the circle. She yielded four runs and nine hits while striking out nine and walking two.
Niagara belted nine hits as a team in game two, led by two hits each from Kill and Healy. Four different hurlers went in the game for the Purple Eagles. Michelle Krier (5-4) got the start in the circle and took the loss. Krier lasted two innings, surrendering five runs (two earned) and five hits while striking out three and walking two. Ali Grab and Patricia Kennery each worked two innings before Cassie Stone struck out two Lady Jaspers in the seventh.
The Lady Jaspers' doubleheader at Canisius (14-13, 3-1 MAAC) that had to be postponed on Saturday is now scheduled for Monday at 11 a.m. The Griffs also swept their doubleheader on Sunday, beating Saint Peter's 2-0 and 9-0.
