Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

RIVERDALE, N.Y. - The Fairfield University baseball team ran into a very tough Manhattan College team, dropping both games of a doubleheader to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) leaders this afternoon at Van Cortlandt Park. In the first game, the Stags (15-17; 5-6 MAAC) rallied from five runs down in the ninth to tie the game, but the Jaspers scored in the bottom of the inning to win, 7-6. In the second game, Manhattan (23-10; 10-1 MAAC) posted the 15-3 win.

Trailing 6-1 in the top of the ninth, the Stags began to chip away at the lead. With one out, Bill Rafferty (Guilderland, N.Y.) started things off with a single. Tucker Nathans (Warwick, N.Y.) followed with a single of his own and Carmine DeVito (Plainview, N.Y.) loaded the bases by drawing a walk. Jason Rago (Fairfield, Conn.) then stepped to the plate and delivered a double to centerfield driving in two runs. David Dudish (Olney, Md.) followed with a single to right field to score DeVito and Rago and pull the Stags within 6-5. Dudish tied the game one batter later as he scored on a single by Chris Horning (Potomac, Md.). In the bottom half of the inning, Manhattan was able to load the bases with one out when Ruben Perez delivered the game-winning single off of Dan Gallagher (Allendale, N.J.) who came on in relief of Rick Piccirillo (Trumbull, Conn.).

Earlier in the game, the Jaspers struck first, taking a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second before pushing out to a 3-0 advantage in the bottom of the fourth inning. With two outs and the bases loaded in the top of the sixth inning, the patience of Ryan Furbeck (Oakland, N.J.) at the plate paid off as he drew a walk to force in DeVito, who had started the inning off with a single. Manhattan got the run back in the bottom half of the stanza and added two more in the bottom of the seventh for the 6-1 lead.

Junior Rob Gariano (Nutley, N.J.) got the no-decision after allowing six runs, four earned on 10 hits with four strikeouts in six innings. Piccirillo (1-1) was charged with the loss after going 2.1 innings and allowing one run on two hits with three strikeouts. The Jaspers' Tom Moran (4-1) earned the win, despite allowing the five runs to the Stags in the top of the ninth.

In the second game, Nathans gave the Stags 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning with a solo homerun to right center. The Jaspers' Kevin Nieto answered in the bottom half of the frame with a two-run blast to left center to put Manhattan on top. Nieto drove in two more runs in the bottom of the second with a double to left center to make the score 4-1. Fairfield pulled within 4-2 on a Rago homer to right center in the top of the fifth, but Manhattan posted six runs in the bottom of the inning to push out to a 10-2 lead. The Jaspers added five more in the bottom of the sixth to put the game out of reach. The Stags tacked on a final run in the top of the seventh as rookie Mark Skrapits (Bronx, N.Y.) drew a bases loaded walk to force in Larry Cornelia (Dix Hills, N.Y.).

Junior Kevin Fico (Stamford, Conn.) took the loss, allowing 10 runs, eight earned, on 11 hits with five strikeouts in 4.2 innings. Tom Giordano (6-1) notched the win, allowing two runs on three hits in six innings of work.

Fairfield wraps up the series with Manhattan tomorrow, April 19, at noon.