Manhattan University Athletics

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – After losing seven of its previous eight, the Manhattan College softball team entered Wednesday afternoon's doubleheader at Wagner badly in need of a win.  The Jaspers didn't just get a victory, they got two.  After coming back from a 3-0 deficit to post a 6-3 victory in game one of the twinbill, Manhattan (17-21) rallied for a 6-2 win over the Seahawks (11-36) in the nightcap at Wagner Field.

Wagner jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first in game one.  After the first three Seahawks reached base, Abigail Beasley was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.  Megan Moore followed with an RBI single, and Wagner added a third run when Hayley Sullivan reached on a fielder's choice.

Manhattan's “Killer B's” started a rally in the top of the third, as Kate Bowen (Newtown, Conn.) led off the inning with a base hit, Elena Bowman (San Mateo, Calif.) was hit by a pitch, and Amanda Babcock (Haverstraw, N.Y.) delivered a single to load the bases.  Babcock was doubled off first when Amanda Paxson (Cedar Grove, N.J.) lined into a double play, but Andi Stallard (Katy, Texas) and Sydney Weedon (Santa Ana, Calif.) followed with back-to-back RBI singles that brought the Jaspers within one at 3-2.  Manhattan then tied it in the top of the fourth when Bowen scored on Babcock's RBI single.

Bowman gave the Jaspers in the lead when she crushed her 12^th home run of the season in the top of the sixth, starting a three-run rally.  Babcock then reached on an infield single before Paxson smashed a double to center.  After Stallard knocked Babcock in with a single through the right side, Weedon lifted a sacrifice fly to left that allowed Paxson to score, making it 6-3 Jaspers.  Bowen, meanwhile, retired the last nine batters she faced to preserve the victory.

Babcock led the way for the Jaspers, going 3-for-3 at the plate with a run scored and an RBI.  Bowman went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI, while Bowen was 2-for-5 with two runs scored.  Stallard added a pair of hits and two RBIs, and Weedon drove in two runs, as well.  Bowen (8-6) also went the distance in the circle.  She yielded three runs, all of which came in the first inning, and six hits with three walks and a strikeout.

Brenda Bott had two of Wagner's six hits in the game.  She also scored a run.  Judy Betz (4-18) went 5.1 inning sin the circle and took the loss.  She allowed six runs on 11 hits, struck out five and walked three.  Samantha Bedker finished up, surrendering a hit and a walk while striking out two in 1.2 scoreless innings.

After a scoreless first inning in game two, the Jaspers put up a three-spot in the top of the second.  Stallard started the rally with a single to right center, then moved to second on a sacrifice and took third on Jen Keller's (Woodridge, N.J.) single.  Emily Cutler (Bloomingdale, N.J.) followed with a single up the middle that knocked in two runs.  Cutler moved to third on an error on the play, and she scored on a groundout by Jocelin Whitmore (La Habra, Calif.).

Manhattan picked up two more runs in the top of the third.  Babcock drew a leadoff walk and scored on Meghan McDevitt's (Nutley, N.J.) two-run homer to center field.  The Jaspers later added another tally on Weedon's bases loaded walk in the fourth.

However, Wagner rallied in the bottom of the sixth, sending the tying run to the plate.  Moore got the Seahawks on the board with an RBI single, and Brittany Huss then drove in a run with a base hit of her own.  After Beth Lewis walked to load the bases with nobody out, Kelsi Redding (Tucson, Ariz.) was called upon out of the Manhattan bullpen.  Redding retired Sullivan on a line drive before striking out Kelsey Parker and Kristen Matteoni to end the threat.  That ended up closing out the game, too, as the contest was called after six innings due to darkness.

As a team, the Jaspers collected 10 hits in game two, with Babcock, Stallard and Cutler each going 2-for-3 with a run scored.  Cutler also drove in two runs, while McDevitt collected two RBIs on her home run.  Amy Bright (Manlius, N.Y.) (6-8) earned the win after tossing five-plus innings in the circle.  She allowed two runs on five hits, struck out four and walked three.  After Erin Hamm (Collegeville, Pa.) surrendered a hit and a walk, Redding retired all three batters she faced, including a pair of strikeouts, to pick up her first save of the season.

Beasley and Huss both went 2-for-3 for the Seahawks, who collected six hits as a team in the contest.  Huss added an RBI, while Beasley and Bott each scored a run.  Olivia Zwick (2-9) took the loss after giving up five runs (four earned) on six hits and walking two in 2.1 innings of work.  Bedker allowed an unearned run and two hits, while striking out one and walking two in one inning, and Betz tossed 2.2 scoreless innings, surrendering two hits and recording a pair of strikeouts.