Box Score WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Manhattanville baseball team staged a seven-run ninth-inning rally after trailing 9-6 heading to the ninth to come from behind and defeat the King's Monarchs by a 13-11 final score on Sunday afternoon. Sophomore Bobby Guerra (Bronx, N.Y./Arlington) led the Valiants offensively by going 4-for-6 with a career-high five RBI.
 
After going down in order in the top of the first, the Valiants gave the ball to junior Spencer Samelson (Larchmont, N.Y./Mamaroneck) in the bottom of the inning. Samelson allowed three of the first four base runners he faced to reach, but sophomore Kevin Brady (Bronx, N.Y./Fordham Prep) turned an unassisted double play on a line drive to get out of the jam.
 
Brady got things going offensively in the next inning with a two out triple, then came across the plate as senior John Bucci (Port Chester, N.Y./Port Chester) was batting, who reached on an error to make the score 1-0. Bucci stole second, and junior Hans Arias (Bronx, N.Y./St. Raymond) walked, but Monarch starter Shawn Heck got out without allowing anything further.
 
Manhattanville got the offense going again in the top of the third inning as freshman Jordanis Nunez (Bronx, N.Y./St. Raymond) led things off with a single to centerfield. Sophomore Nick Euvino (Bronx, N.Y./Archbishop Stepinac) and senior Johnny LoVetere (Southbury, Conn./Canterbury) both reached to load the bases with one out. Guerra singled to the opposite field to score two then stole second himself.
 
Brady then pulled a ball through the left side of the infield to score LoVetere and spot Manhattanville a 4-0 lead. Heck continued to allow hard hit balls and put base runners on as with two outs when a pitch hit Arias.  Joe Dorbad came on next and retired the next batter to stem the tide.
 
The first Monarch reached in the bottom of the fourth to bring up Chris Sweeney, whose program-record 22-game hit streak was stopped by Manhattanville in game two of yesterday's doubleheader. Sweeney then sent the ball over the left-centerfield fence to trim Manhattanville's lead to 4-2.
 
After Dorbad struck out the first two Valiants to bat in the fifth, senior Sean Ferguson (Astoria, N.Y./Xavier) singled, which was followed by LoVetere getting hit by another pitch. The pair of upperclassmen were moved up on a wild pitch, and but Guerra in another prime position to score more, which he did with a single into left field. LoVetere was thrown out trying to score as Manhattanville settled for one run.
 
Samelson worked around a two out double in the fourth inning, but allowed a leadoff single knocked Samelson from the game to bring on junior V.J. Collins (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Arlington). Sweeney was hit by a pitch, but was retired on the next play on a fielder's choice. A walk followed by a double brought home two more runs to pull King's within one at 5-4. Sophomore Zack Zareva (Warren, N.J./Watchung Hills Regional) came on and walked his batter before making way for the bullpen again.
 
Freshman Julian Ponce (Port Chester, N.Y./Archbishop Stepinac) came on and allowed an inherited runner to score while exchanging it for an out on a fielder's choice. Two batters later, Rob Lemoncelli doubled to score two more to give the Monarchs their first lead of the game at 6-5. Junior Joe Pareres (Bronxville, N.Y./Fordham Prep) came on and got the first man he faced to end the rally.
 
Pareres allowed the first two to reach in the bottom of the sixth and a wild pitch moved the pair to second and third. The next batter grounded out, which turned the strategy wheels in motion as Pareres was signaled to intentionally walk the next batter in hopes to set up a double play. A sac fly, an error and a walk with the bases loaded scored three more as King's pulled away with a 9-5 edge.
 
Both teams went down in order as Dorbad and Pareres exchanged zeroes in the seventh inning with the Valiants looking to put runs on the board in the eighth.
 
Junior Elias Tsouristakis reached on an error and went first-to-third as Nunez doubled to left field with one out. Euvino grounded out to short as the Monarchs conceded a run to get the second out of the inning. Pareres then combined with junior Ryan Blinderman (Fairfield, Conn./Fairfield Warde), and sophomore Joe Palmeri (Mastic, N.Y./Eastport/South Manor) as each pitcher recorded one out in the eighth.
 
The top of the ninth began with LoVetere and Guerra starting things off with singles, chasing Dorbad from the game. Brady walked to load the bases, and Bucci singled up the middle to score the Valiants' seventh run. Arias walked to score another while also bringing on the next Monarch pitcher.
 
Tsouristakis came up next and walked to force home the game-tying run to even the score at nine. Sophomore Nate Trashansky (Babylon, N.Y./North Babylon) pinch hit to replace senior Raul Rodriguez (Bronx, N.Y./DeWitt Clinton), who had come on as a defensive replacement earlier in the game, Trashansky then singled the go-ahead run home and again chased another pitcher from the game.
 
King's Pat Matthews got the first batter, and then retired Ferguson on a sacrifice fly as Arias scored. LoVetere was hit by a pitch for the third time in the game, which brought up Guerra who laced a single to left field to chase home two more runs and put the Valiants up by four.
 
With Palmeri in line for the win, the Valiant closer plunked the first man he faced and then allowed a two-run home run to Lemoncelli to make the game a 13-11 contest. Palmeri retired the next two batters to seal the comeback victory for the Valiants.
 
Earning the win was Palmeri, who improves to 1-1 after getting the final four outs for Manhattanville. Samelson pitched well at the start, as Collins, Ponce and Pareres and Blinderman bridged the gap to Palmeri. Taking the loss was Jon Keller, who failed to retire a batter and allowing three Manhattanville runs in the ninth inning.
 
Manhattanville (10-20, 7-8 Freedom) will take on nationally ranked Ramapo on the road this Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. King's (15-11, 5-10 Freedom) will also return to non-conference action against local rival Marywood on Tuesday afternoon.