HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. – Locked into a pair of slugfests to close out the week, the Manhattanville University baseball team split its Sunday doubleheader at Centenary University. The Valiants close out a 3-1 weekend in which the team scored 40 total runs over the last two days, improving to 10-5 overall in the process.

Game One Recap: Manhattanville 9, Centenary 6
The opener was a game of the big inning, as the sides put up three four-spots over the span of the contest.

Mike Ambrosecchia (Mahopac, N.Y./Mahopac) was a problem at the plate, going 4-for-4 at the dish in the opener with two home runs, a triple and a double, driving in five and scoring three times. He single-handedly helped the Valiants fight back from a two-run deficit, smashing a grand slam in the fifth to put Manhattanville up 8-6 before tacking on an insurance run with a solo shot in the seventh.

The homers were Ambrosecchia's first in a Valiant uniform.

The senior Ambrosecchia's heroics marked Manhattanville's second comeback of the game as the Valiants found themselves in a 4-0 hole after the Cyclones tagged Ryan McCann (Medford, N.Y./Longwood) for four runs in the second. Manhattanville wasted no time equaling up the score, hanging their own crooked number on the board in the top of the third.

The Valiants collected four hits along with a Centenary error to plate four runs, led off with an Ambrosecchia double. Justin Encarnacion (Bronx, N.Y./Cardinal Hayes) and Anthony Mezzaucella (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle) chased home Manhattanville's first run with back-to-back singles, before Joseph McDonald (Coram, N.Y./Longwood) loaded up the bases with an infield single. Joshua Gillison (Buchanan, N.Y./Hendrick Hudson) put the ball in play with the bags juiced, hitting a grounder to second that could not be fielded cleanly that allowed Encarnacion and Mezzaucella to score. CJ Archul (West Nyack, N.Y./Clarkstown South) brought home the tying run with a sacrifice fly to pull the Vals even at 4-4.

The home team went back in front after a Dominick Chiego triple and Myles Castillo double in the bottom of the fourth to spell the end for McCann's outing. He would be charged for one more run in the inning as Castillo scored on a sacrifice fly after his departure, with his final line being six runs (four earned) on seven hits and two walks with two strike outs in 3.1 innings.

Aidan Tumbleson (Manalapan, N.J./Manalapan) was summoned out of the pen and was able to navigate some control issues after hitting the first two batters he faced to only allow the lone inherited runner to score, keeping the Valiant deficit at two runs.

Ambrosecchia delivered the big bomb in the fifth after the Valiants loaded the bases with two away. His grand slam plated Archul, Chris Goohs (Nesconset, N.Y./Smithtown H.S. East) and Brian Bresozky to put Manhattanville in front and put Tumbleson in line for the win.

Now working with a lead for the first time all day, the Valiants turned to one of their most reliable arms in Gregory Esposito (Katonah, N.Y./John Jay) to lock things down. The graduate student tossed the final three innings in relief, giving up just two hits while striking out a pair to pick up his third-straight save. Esposito's ERA drops down to 0.75 on the year with the performance, while his three saves is already the most by a Valiant pitcher in the last three seasons.

Game Two Recap: Manhattanville 7, Centenary 9
The Cyclones erupted for a six-run sixth and held off a final-inning rally by the Valiant bats to split Sunday's action.

Trailing 5-3, the Cyclones jumped on the Valiant bullpen in the sixth to take the late lead. Max Krom (Southington, Conn./Southington) came in to start the frame in relief of Ray White (Mohegan Lake, N.Y./Lakeland), but was unable to record an out as he walked a pair and surrendered a double before giving way to TJ Fuerst (Purchase, N.Y./Archbishop Stepinac). The Cyclones also had an answer for him, as Devin Arce plated a run on a single before Greg Carillo tied the game up on a bases-loaded walk and Chiego put the home side up with a two-run single. Centenary added two more before all was said and done as Ryan Jones chased home two more with a double to put Manhattanville in a 9-5 hole in the seven inning game.

The Valiants battled in their final at-bats, as walks by Goohs, Jackson Branigan (Yonkers, N.Y./Archbishop Stepinac) and Encarnacion brought the tying run to the plate with two away. Michael Torres (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Walter Panas) was called upon to pinch hit and drove in a pair with a single to center, but the rally came to a close as Torres was picked off at first in the following at-bat.

White pitched decently in his fourth start of the year, working around eight hits and a walk in his five innings of work to hold the Cyclones to three runs. His ERA sits at 4.05 for the year.

Ambrosecchia's red-hot day continued with a 2-for-3 effort in the finale with another double as he scored a pair of runs. Branigan and Mezzaucella also had two hits, with Branigan crossing home plate twice as well.

After the Cyclones scored in the bottom of the first, the Valiants tied the game in the second on a Branigan ground out that scored Ambrosecchia. Manhattanville then jumped out to a 4-1 lead with three runs in the fourth, as Gabe Astrologo (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Kennedy Catholic Prep) plated Ambrosecchia with the go-ahead run on a ground out before Mezzaucella plated Marco Clara (Syosset, N.Y./Syosset) and Branigan on a two-run single.

Centenary got two back in the bottom half as the score held steady at 4-3 until the sixth. Gillison picked up his second RBI on a single to score Mezzaucella with an insurance tally before the Cyclones went off in their at-bats in the sixth.

Up Next
The Valiants open conference play on Friday with a doubleheader at Yeshiva starting at 11 a.m.

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