ST. DAVIDS, PA – The Manhattanville College baseball team split a MAC Freedom doubleheader with the Eastern Eagles on Saturday, remaining in control of their own destiny in their hunt for a seventh straight MAC Freedom Tournament berth. The Valiants won the opener 8-6 before dropping the series finale 5-1.

Freshman Jack Matero (Hopewell Junction, N.Y./John Jay) posted a pair of multi-hit games for a 4-for-7 day for Manhattanville (15-16-1, 10-9 MACF) while sophomore Matt Lynch (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) finished 3-for-7. Sophomore Peter Iannarilli (West Nyack, N.Y./Clarkstown South) added to his team-leading RBI total with his first home run of the season.

Game One: Manhattanville 8, Eastern 6

The Valiants got on the board in the top of the first when Luke Scoggins (Merrick, N.Y./Sanford H. Calhoun) scored on an error by the Eastern ( 14-21, 6-15 MACF) catcher. Tommy Strazza tied the game in the bottom of the inning with a home run.

Junior Kieran Corrigan (Mahopac, N.Y./Mahopac) walked to lead off the third, then stole second, and advanced to third on a Lynch groundout. After Conklin walked, Scoggins lifted a sacrifice fly to center, scoring  Corrigan. After Conklin stole second, Matero plated him with a double down the right field line.

Eastern got a run back in the third, but the Valiants answered in the fourth when Lynch and senior Nick Campana (Yonkers, N.Y./St. John the Baptist Elementary) executed a double steal of second and home. Manhattanville added two more in the fifth on sacrifice flies from freshman Luke Shaffer (Monroe, Conn./Masuk) and sophomore Stephen Merrill (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham).

Eastern closed the gap to 6-5 with a three-run sixth, but Iannarilli launched a two-run shot in the seventh to provide the Valiants some insurance. Representing the winning run in the bottom of the seventh, Joseph Poma struck out looking to end the game.

Game Two: Eastern 5, Manhattanville 1

Five straight one-out hits led to four runs for the Eagles in the first inning. Following the outburst, Conklin, who got the nod for his fifth start of the season, and Eastern starter Tyler Bennett both locked in, combining to retire 18 out of 23 batters in the 2nd-4th innings.

In the fifth, Scoggins got Manhattanville on the board, driving in Corrigan with a sacrifice fly, but the Valiants stranded runners at the corners. The Eagles added a run in the sixth on a bases-loaded walk.

Corrigan and Scoggins both drew walks in the seventh, but Gorton, who drew the bases-loaded walk the inning prior, allowed neither runner past second base as the Valiants missed the opportunity at the series sweep.

The Valiants can clinch the fourth and final spot in the conference tournament with a sweep of Delaware Valley tomorrow in their MAC Freedom doubleheader, or if King's loses to the Aggies on Monday. First pitch of the doubleheader tomorrow is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. The nine members of the Class of 2018 will be honored for Senior Day prior to first pitch.