WEST LAWN, PA – The Manhattanville College baseball team advanced to Game Five of the 2019 Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom Baseball Championship – set to begin at about 6 p.m.– following a 10-5 victory over the King's College Monarchs in Game Four Saturday afternoon, May 4. The Valiants will face the DeSales University Bulldogs, who beat Manhattanville 7-2 in game two Friday night, May 3.

Junior Joseph Silvestri (Bronx, N.Y./Archbishop Stepinac) had three RBI singles in his four at-bats and scored two runs for Manhattanville (24-17). Fellow Junior Peter Iannarilli (West Nyack, N.Y./Clarkstown South) also had three RBI's and sophomore Jack Matero (Hopewell Junction, N.Y./John Jay) added three hits as well. Junior Stephen Merrill (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) went 1-for-4 with two RBI's and senior Tom Gilmartin (Levittown, N.Y./Island Trees) added two hits in four at-bats. On the mound, sophomore Luke Shaffer (Monroe, Conn./Masuk) allowed three runs in six innings of work, with two runs being yielded after Shaffer was pulled in the seventh inning after a career-high 118 pitches.

Shane Beyer had two hits and scored two runs for King's (17-19) and Christian Pack had three hits in five at-bats.

After Shaffer worked around a leadoff double in the top of the first, Manhattanville's offense went to work in the bottom half. With one out, Matero doubled to left-center, freshman Anthony Quatrochi (Fishkill, N.Y./Our Lady of Lourdes) walked, and senior Luke Scoggins (Merrick, N.Y./Sanford H. Calhoun) bunted, loading the bases following a throwing error by King's. After Silvestri drove in Matero with a single to right and Iannarilli drove in Quatrochi with a sacrifice fly, junior Stephen Merrill (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) doubled off the base of the left field wall, driving in Scoggins and Silvestri. Freshman Tyler Viscusi (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) followed with a single to left, scoring Merrill.

After batting around in the first, Quatrochi and Scoggins opened the second with singles. Silvestri followed with an RBI single and Iannarilli a sacrifice fly, each their second of the day.

Despite runners being in scoring position for King's in a number of innings, Shaffer was in command throughout his start. He stranded a runner on second base in the second, and, after a bases loaded balk gave King's its first run of the day, he stranded runners on second and third to end the fifth. The Valiants added a run on a fielder's choice in the bottom of the fifth.

Shaffer exited the game in the seventh and King's responded with four runs, slicing its deficit to just 8-5, but Manhattanville responded in the bottom half of the inning. With two out and Quatrochi on third, Silvestri delivered his third RBI single of the day and Iannarilli followed with an opposite field double, scoring Silvestri all the way from first. Junior John Cirillo (Stormville, N.Y./Our Lady of Lourdes) tossed the final two innings, closing out the win for Manhattanville.