PURCHASE, NY – The Manhattanvile College baseball team swept a crucial Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom doubleheader against the King's College Monarchs Sunday, March 24, winning the first game in walk-off fashion 5-4 and the second game 10-6 with a nine-run sixth inning.

Junior Stephen Merrill (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) and sophomore Hathaway Roper (Stratford, Conn./Bunnell) both had three-hit games and combined for four runs and five RBI's in the second game after Merrill delivered a walk-off hit in the first game.

Senior Luke Scoggins (Merrick, N.Y./Sanford H. Calhoun), junior Matt Lynch (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) and sophomore Jack Matero (Hopewell Junction, N.Y./John Jay) all had two hits for Manhattanville (6-6, 3-1 MACF) in the first game. Junior Justin Proteau (Wolcott, Conn./Canterbury School) threw 3.1 scoreless innings of relief to earn the win in the first game and classmate John Cirillo (Stormville, N.Y./Our Lady of Lourdes) earned the second game win, allowing no hits in an inning and a third. For King's (5-9, 2-3 MACF), Christian Pack finished the twinbill 5-for-8 and Dan Hartson finished 4-for-8.

GAME ONE: Down 3-0 entering the bottom of the first, Lynch and Scoggins got Manhattanville's offense started with doubles, with Lynch scoring on Scoggins'. After Scoggins moved to third on a wild pitch, sophomore Luke Shaffer (Monroe, Conn./Masuk) drove him in with a single. The Valiants tied the game in the bottom of the third, but King's grabbed the lead right back in the top of the fourth, 4-3.  

Proteau stranded five Monarchs on base over the final three innings, but King's still led entering the bottom of the seventh, when Matero got things started for Manhattanville with a leadoff single. With one out, senior pinch-runner Matt Coleman (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle) advanced to second on a passed ball. After junior Peter Iannarilli (West Nyack, N.Y./Clarkstown South) walked, Roper tied the game with a double to center. Merrill then followed with the walk-off hit to right field.

GAME TWO: With two out and nobody on in the bottom of the second, Roper singled and stole second. Merrill followed with an RBI single, putting the Valiants up 1-0. Tyler Viscusi (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) kept King's off the board until the fifth, when the Monarchs tied the game. King's followed with five more in the top of the sixth, taking a commanding 6-1 lead.

Roper and Merrill got the bottom of the sixth started with a double and single, respectively, with Roper scoring on Merrill's single. With one out, sophomore Matt Tuite (Shrub Oak, N.Y./Lakeland) reached on an error and Lynch, Shaffer, Scoggins and Matero all walked, scoring Merrill, Tuite and Lynch.

With the bases still loaded and the Valiants trailing 6-5, Iannarilli put Manhattanville in front with a two-run single. Roper followed with a double to center field, scoring Matero and Merrill followed with a single, scoring Iannarilli and Roper, putting the Valiants up 10-6. In all, the Valiants sent 12 men to the plate in the nine-run inning. Cirillo allowed a one-out walk in a scoreless top of the seventh to close out the sweep.

The teams will wrap up their three-game conference series Tuesday, March 26 from Wilkes-Barre, PA.