FLEMINGTON, NJ – The Manhattanville College baseball team scored three runs in the top of the ninth inning, grabbing a key Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom win over the FDU-Florham Devils 10-8 Thursday, April 18 from Diamond Nation.

Junior Stephen Merrill (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) delivered a go-ahead two-run double in the top of the ninth inning for Manhattanville (18-13, 10-6 MACF); Merrill finished the day 3-for-5 with three runs and the two RBI's. Fellow junior Matt Lynch (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) reached base in all six of his plate appearances, going 4-for-4 with two walks, scoring three runs as well. Elsewhere, sophomore Jack Matero (Hopewell Junction, N.Y./John Jay) went 2-for-5 with a run and an RBI while senior Luke Scoggins (Merrick, N.Y./Sanford H. Calhoun) and sophomore Hathaway Roper (Stratford, Conn./Bunnell) both went 2-for-4. On the mound, freshman Nick Carita (Levittown, N.Y./Island Trees) turned in three scoreless, hitless innings for the Valiants, picking up the win while lowering his ERA nearly three-quarters of a run.

For FDU-Florham (11-21, 4-12 MACF), Chris Ciancimino went 3-for-5 with three runs scored.

The Devils took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second, but an error and a run-scoring fielder's choice by junior Peter Iannarilli (West Nyack, N.Y./Clarkstown South) gave the Valiants a 2-1 lead in the top of the third. FDU-Florham came right back in the bottom of the inning with a sacrifice fly and a solo home run by Jonathan Biale, re-taking the lead 3-2.

Lynch tied the game in the fourth with an RBI single and Scoggins gave Manhattanville the lead with an RBI single of his own in the top of the fifth. An error in the bottom of the fifth led to two FDU-Florham runs and a 5-4 lead.

The back and forth affair continued in the top of the sixth as singles by Merrill and Lynch, an FDU-Florham error, a run-scoring wild pitch and a sacrifice fly gave the lead back to Manhattanville, 6-5. The Devils took the lead back, 8-6, in the bottom of the inning after an RBI single, another sacrifice fly and an RBI double.

The score remained as such until the top of the eighth when Lynch led off with a single, advanced to third on Matero's single, then scored on a groundout by freshman Tyler Viscusi (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham).

In the ninth, junior Joseph Silvestri (Bronx, N.Y./Archbishop Stepinac) led off with a single and senior pinch-runner Tom Gilmartin (Levittown, N.Y./Island Trees) stole second. After sophomore Luke Shaffer (Monroe, Conn./Masuk) reached on an error, Merrill gave the Valiants the lead with a two-bagger to left-center, scoring Gilmartin and Shaffer. After Lynch walked, Matero plated Merrill with a single for an insurance run.

Carita, after retiring seven straight batters between the sixth and eighth innings, walked a pair of Devils in the ninth, but stranded them both to end the game.

The two teams conclude their MAC Freedom series with a doubleheader starting at 11 a.m. tomorrow, Friday April 19 at Manhattanville Field for Senior Day. Manhattanville's seven seniors: Scoggins, Gilmartin, Francisco Jaile (Hartsdale, N.Y./Archbishop Stepinac), Michael Poggioreale (Thornwood, N.Y./Westlake), Kieran Corrigan (Mahopac, N.Y./Mahopac), Rami Masani (Westbury, N.Y./W.T. Clarke) and Matt Coleman (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle) will all be recognized for their contributions to the program.