DANBURY, Conn. – The Manhattanville University baseball team was defeated at Western Connecticut State on Thursday afternoon, dropping an 11-7 contest to the Wolves. The loss drops the Valiants to 14-15 overall on the season.
There were hits and runs aplenty by both offenses in the midweek tilt as the teams put up ten total runs over the first three innings. WestConn took an early 2-0 lead with three hits in the bottom of the first, leaving the bases loaded in a frame that could have easily gotten out of hand.
Manhattanville sliced the deficit in half in the second as
Anthony Mezzaucella (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle) led off with a single. After advancing up to third on a pair of wild pitches, he came home with the Valiants' first run of the day on a
Chris Goohs (Nesconset, N.Y./Smithtown H.S. East) RBI ground out.
The Valiants loaded up the bases in the third with singles by
Dylan Roberts (Warwick, R.I./Pilgrim),
Anthony Iazzetti (Tuxedo, N.Y./Don Bosco Prep) and
Aidan Rosario (Greenwich, Conn./Greenwich). Mezzaucella collected a painful RBI after getting hit by a pitch to tie the game up before an error allowed Iazzetti to score, putting the Valiants up 3-2.
The lead was short-lived as the Wolves teed off for five runs on five hits and a pair of errors in the bottom half to retake a 7-3 lead. The rough inning spelled the end of
Jason Gardineer's (Mahopac, N.Y./Mahopac) start, who fell to 0-2 on the year after surrendering seven runs (six earned) on eight hits and four walks across 2.1 innings while striking out two.
Kevin DeMilia (Briarcliff Manor, N.Y./Briarcliff) was able to settle things down out of the pen, firing 2.2 innings and allowing just one hit across his outing. Unfortunately for the Valiants, Trey Lindsey was also locking in on the mound for the Wolves, holding Manhattanville to just one hit across the fourth through seventh innings.
WestConn tacked two more runs onto their lead in the sixth on three hits against
Sam Saccomanno (Medford, N.J./Shawnee), carrying a 9-3 lead into the eighth.
The Wolves sent Lindsey back out to the mound for the eighth, a decision that allowed the Valiants to get back into the game. Back-to-back doubles by
Brian Brezosky (Garnerville, N.Y./North Rockland) and Mezzaucella ahead of
Mike Scozzafava's (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Walter Panas) single brought in a pair of runs before the Wolves went to the pen.
Jackson Branigan (Yonkers, N.Y./Archbishop Stepinac) picked up an RBI on a ground out before
Logan Alberto (East Patchogue, N.Y./Bellport Senior) delivered a pinch hit single to plate the Valiants' fourth run of the inning, giving Manhattanville life late to make the score 9-7.
After seeing their lead almost evaporate, the Wolves were able to get two runs back in the bottom of the eighth. The Valiants did not have any more late inning magic up their sleeves, as Quinn McGuire sat down the side in order to close out the 11-7 victory for WestConn.
Max Krom (Southington, Conn./Southington) pitched the final inning of relief for the Valiants, surrendering two hits and a walk while striking out one.
Iazzetti and Mezzaucella both finished 2-for-4 at the plate for Manhattanville.
Up Next
The Valiants resume conference play on Friday afternoon, hosting Saint Joseph's Brooklyn for a Skyline doubleheader starting at 12 p.m.
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