Richmond, VA - Graduate student LHP Joe Jacques (Shrewsbury, NJ / Red Bank Regional) struck out two over 6.0 innings and freshman Will Trochiano (Morganville, NJ / Marlboro) reached base safely five times in leading Manhattan to a series-clinching 6-4 win over VCU at the Diamond.
With the victory, the Jaspers improve to 2-7 with their first non-conference series victory since 2016 while the Rams fall to 4-8.
Sophomore RHP T.J. Stuart (Milford, CT / Joseph A. Foran) closed out the victory with three perfect innings in earning his first save of the season after collecting the win on Friday.
Manhattan opened the scoring with three runs in the top of the second inning while setting the tone for the day. Freshman Matt Padre (Flemington, NJ / Hunterdon Central) walked with one out before moving to third on a Evan Brown (GS, Asburnham, MA / Bridgton Academy (ME)) single. Sophomore Alex Cerda (Miami, FL / Florida Christian School) followed with a RBI single. Senior Adam Genners (Jacksonville, FL Stanton College Prep) kept it up with a single to load up the bases. Trochiano forced in Brown with a bases loaded walk and senior Brendan Bisset (New City, NY / Don Bosco Prep (NJ)) plated Cerda with a sacrifice fly to cap the scoring.
VCU would rally with a single score in the bottom part of the frame and the fourth and fifth innings in drawing even at 3-3.
The Jaspers would immediately respond in the top of the sixth with two runs thanks to a two-out rally. Padre walked and moved to second on a two-out Cerda single before the pair was plated on Genners' two-run triple down the right field line.
In the bottom part of the frame, the Rams would get one run back in making in trimming the deficit to 5-4.
Cerda scored the sixth and final Manhattan run in the eighth on a wild pitch in providing the final 6-4 count.
Trochiano finished up 2-for-2 with two walks while being plunked with Cerda going 2-for-3 with three runs and a HBP. Genners also registered multiple-hits, going 2-for-3 with a triple and two RBI.
Jacques yielded four runs, three earned, on 10 hits over 6.0 innings in notching his first win since the 2016 season.
Zac Ching had two hits and two RBI while Mitchel Lacey had two doubles and two runs to pace a 10-hit attack.
Manhattan will return to action at Stony Brook on Tuesday, March 6 at 3:00 pm.