POMONA, N.Y. - The Manhattan Jaspers baseball team hammered out thirteen hits, including a pair of home runs and four players with multi-hit outings, while the Green & White pitching staff combined for seven strikeouts and just four earned runs, but a dozen runners were stranded on base and four defensive blunders led to an untimely demise, forcing the Jaspers to drop an 8-5 midweek bout with Long Island University Tuesday afternoon at Clover Field.
Manhattan's 9-21 start mirrors the 2023 season start where the Jaspers battled against Canisius in the MAAC Conference Championship. The Jaspers return to conference play this weekend with a three-game meet with Iona (4-24, 0-9) at SUNY Westchester.
Daniel Perez went 3-for-5 with a single RBI to lead Manhattan's offense, and Drew Wyers, Chase Swain, and Trevor Hansen all contributed a pair of hits to the 13-hit total. Logan Pfannenbecker and Jake Hatch each recorded their first homers of the season, with Pfannenbecker scoring the first run of the game with his shot in the first inning and Hatch's coming in the fourth.
Manhattan used seven pitchers in the afternoon contest, with Tyler Babel (0-2) recording the loss. In 1.0 innings, Babel allowed two runs (one earned) on zero hits, with a walk and wild pitch on his record. Trey Packen tossed 2.0 effective innings, holding the Sharks scoreless with one hit, one walk, and four strikeouts.
Manhattan led 3-2 after one inning on a pair of singles and Pfannenbecker's home run. LIU countered with four straight scoring frames to take a 7-4 lead. Down by three heading into the fifth inning, the Jaspers loaded the bases for another attempted comeback. Hansen's single, sandwiched between two walks, set the stage, but LIU's Noah Tabaie forced a ground out to maintain their lead.
Friday's matchup with Iona is scheduled for a 3 p.m. start, followed by a 1 p.m. contest on Saturday and the series finale on Sunday at noon. Game coverage will be available on gojaspers.com, Twitter, and Instagram - @JaspersBaseball.
