PURCHASE, N.Y. – Head Coach
Jeff Caulfield won his 400
th career game as skipper of the Manhattanville University baseball team on Sunday afternoon as the Valiants split a doubleheader against Saint Elizabeth in the team's 2025 home opener. Manhattanville will close out its five-game week with an overall record of 7-4.
Game One Recap: Manhattanville 12, Saint Elizabeth 4
Collecting 14 base hits in the opener and notching five runs across the opening two frames, the Valiants found offense aplenty in the bats to take the opening seven inning contest.
Manhattanville wasted little time getting on the board with a three spot in the bottom of the first.
Joshua Gillison (Buchanan, N.Y./Hendrick Hudson) was hit by a pitch and
Gregory Tashik (Midland Park, N.J./Midland Park Jr./Sr.) beat out an infield single to put a pair on with one away.
Chris Goohs (Nesconset, N.Y./Smithtown H.S. East) continued his red-hot weekend by dropping a single into centerfield to score Gillison as both runners moved into scoring position as the ball was misplayed in the outfield. Tashik came home on a wild pitch before
Joseph McDonald (Coram, N.Y./Longwood) scored Goohs on an RBI groundout.
Already staked to a 3-0 lead, the offense went right back to work in the second as
Anthony Caputo (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Walter Panas) laced an RBI double before
Brian Brezosky (Garnerville, N.Y./North Rockland) singled home a run to put the Valiants up by five.
That would ultimately be all the offense Manhattanville would need, but the home side added insurance runs in the fourth and fifth before erupting for a five-spot in the sixth to respond to the Eagles getting on the board.
Jackson Branigan (Yonkers, N.Y./Archbishop Stepinac) led off the fourth with a double and later scored on a
Justin Encarnacion (Bronx, N.Y./Cardinal Hayes) sacrifice fly. Saint Elizabeth ultimately broke through against
Ryan Osso (Eastchester, N.Y./Eastchester) in the fifth for two runs on a Cameron Vicari double, but that would be the only damage the senior would allow. Osso went on to pick up his first win of the season, finishing with a line of two runs on three hits and four walks while striking out three in his five innings of work.
The Valiants responded in the bottom half as McDonald collected his second RBI of the game on a fielder's choice to score Anthony Mazzaucella. The Eagles continued to attempt to claw back into the game as they tagged
Billy Anema (Midland Park, N.J./Midland Park) for a pair of runs in the top of the sixth, but
Gregory Esposito (Katonah, N.Y./John Jay) was called upon in the middle of the inning with the bases loaded to get out of the jam, getting Vicari to roll over on one and leave the bags stranded with a 7-4 lead in tact.
Manhattanville regained breathing room by plating five runs on six hits and a pair of Saint Elizabeth errors to put the game out of reach.
Mike Ambrosecchia (Mahopac, N.Y./Mahopac) led off with a triple and scored on Encarnacion's sac fly. Caputo and Brezosky kept the rally going with back-to-back singles, with the former scoring on Mezzaucella's single. Two more runs would score on a failed pickoff attempt that made its way into right field. Goohs went on to add the final strike with a sacrifice fly that scored Tashik, putting the Valiants comfortably ahead 12-4.
Esposito returned to the slab for the seventh, getting a line out and a pair of strikeouts to pick up his second save in as many days. The graduate pitcher has been phenomenal in his first four appearances of the year, going 2-0 with a pair of saves to the tune of a 1.00 ERA.
Caputo finished with a 3-for-3 effort at the plate, scoring a pair of runs with an RBI. Brezosky, Tashik and Branigan each enjoyed themselves a multihit performance as well. Mezzaucella stole a pair of bases, while Tashik nabbed one.
Game Two Recap: Manhattanville 5, Saint Elizabeth 6 (Eight Innings)
Down to their final at-bats, the Eagles scored three runs in the seventh inning before taking the lead in the eighth, winning in extras.
Trailing 5-2 entering the seventh, a single and error put a pair in scoring position for the Eagles for Richard Sherman III who drove in both with a single. Sherman then stole second and made his way around the bases with the tying run on a pair of groundouts.
TJ Fuerst (Purchase, N.Y./Archbishop Stepinac) was able to keep the game tied by leaving a pair strained in scoring position, but the senior was not able to make it out of the eighth unscathed, surrendering a leadoff homer to Ryan Deal for what would prove to be the winning run in extras.
Leading up to the late inning drama, the teams traded runs in the first the third innings. After Vicari put the visitors in front with an RBI single in the top of the first, Branigan tied things up with a double to score Gillison. The Eagles reclaimed the lead with a bases loaded walk by Harrison Curran in the third, but it would be Branigan scoring Gillison again in the bottom half to reset the score once again with an RBI single to make it 2-2 heading into the fourth.
Manhattanville captured the lead by plating a run in each of the fourth, fifth and sixth innings.
Dylan Roberts (Warwick, R.I./Pilgrim) collected his first collegiate hit in the fourth, a single to center to score McDonald with the go-ahead run.
Marco Clara (Syosset, N.Y./Syosset) drew a bases loaded walk in the fifth while Ambrosecchia added another insurance tally with a sixth inning sacrifice fly to score Mezzaucella before the Eagles came storming back.
Jake Warnock (Eastchester, N.Y./Eastchester) took a no decision in his start, going five innings. The freshman allowed just two runs on three hits and five walks while striking out ten. He has not recorded double digit strikeouts in two of his first three collegiate outings.
Ryan Costa (Bayport, N.Y./Bayport Blue-Point) went an inning-plus in relief, retiring the side in order in the sixth before surrendering the first two runs in the seventh. He would be charged for all three runs in the frame, with two being earned. Fuerst took the loss, falling to 0-2 on the year with his final ledger reading one earned run on three hits and four strikeouts in two innings.
Gillison and Branigan were the lone Valiants with multiple hits in Sunday's finale. Mezzaucella continued to be a menace on the basepaths with three steals in the game, with Gillison swiping a bag of his own.
Up Next
After the busy past week, the Valiants get a few days to catch their breath before returning to action on Saturday for a home doubleheader against John Jay.
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