PURCHASE, N.Y. - Getting back to their winning ways, the Manhattanville University baseball team breezed past the visiting Bears of St. Joe's-Brooklyn, taking game one by a score of 18-5, and handling business in the second tilt, 10-6. With the result, the Valiants moved back into the positives with a 16-15 record, holding an even 6-6 record in Skyline play. 

Game One: Manhattanville 18, St. Joseph's-Brooklyn 5 

Ryan Osso (Eastchester, N.Y./Eastchester) got the start on the mound for the Valiants, twirling five innings of the seven-inning contest, carrying a no-hit bid into the fourth inning. Osso finished the day with seven strikeouts, the highest mark of the senior's career on the bump. 

A walk and a double to left center made way for Brian Brezosky (Garnerville, N.Y./North Rockland) to drive in the first run of the contest in the first inning, producing a sacrifice fly to center field making way for the runner from third to score. Chris Goohs (Nesconset, N.Y./Smithtown H.S. East) then laced a single to left field for the second run of the inning, pinning the score at 2-0. 

Manhattanville used the bottom of the second to tack on another run, with a two-out single by Anthony Mezzaucella (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle) giving way for him to moved up by a wild pitch. Joshua Gillison (Buchanan, N.Y./Hendrick Hudson) produced an RBI single to left field, for a 3-0 lead. 

The Bears would break out of the no-hit spell with a two-out double over the head of the center fielder, Paider then singled to the pull side to bring in the first run of the game for the Bears. 

Manhattanville then concocted a crooked number on the scoreboard, scoring twelve runs on only six hits while only stranding one baserunner. The inning was kicked off by a single from Jackson Branigan (Yonkers, N.Y./Archbishop Stepinac), followed by Anthony Iazzetti (Tuxedo, N.Y./Don Bosco Prep) doubling to left field for runners on the corners. A fielding error by the second baseman allowed the baserunner 90 feet away to score, while keeping runners on the corners. Mezzaucella cleared the bases with a towering triple to left center, seeing the score now sit at 6-1. The Valiants were still not done going after the Bears' hurler, as a subsequent single up the middle score Mezzaucella for the seventh run of the contest. After two walks loaded the bases, Branigan walked in another run, leading to a wild pitch plating one more. A balk brought home one more run, as the second fielding error of the inning helped plate the ninth run for Manhattanville. Another triple by the Valiants, this time to right center field, cleared the stations from a swing by Gillison, with the inning being capped off by Julius Kass (Ann Arbor, Mich./Ann Arbor Pioneer), a double for the twelfth and final run of the inning, now seeing the score sit at 15-1. 

Joe's Brooklyn would try to slice into the Valiant lead in the next time batting, getting after the Valiant hurler with four runs on six hits, but the built up lead was too much to overcome, seeing Manhattanville get three more runs back, for a final score of 18-5. 

Mezzaucella finished the first game with a 3-for-4 performance with three RBIs, as Gillison and Kass both drove in three runs apiece. 

Game Two: Manhattanville 10, St. Joseph's-Brooklyn 6 

Manhattanville started out the game in similar fashion, with single and double back-to-back, leading to Brezosky singling up the middle for the first runner of the game. 

The Valiants would add on two more runs in the bottom second, first with a double steal with runners on the corners, having Justin Encarnacion (Bronx, N.Y./Cardinal Hayes) steal home, later having a single score another baserunner to the shortstop, for a 3-0 lead. 

The Bears sliced into the Valiant lead, halving the score in the third inning, back-to-back singles allowed SJBK to score from a wild pitch, then have the runner placed on third score from a sacrifice fly to the outfield, now seeing the scoreboard sit at 3-2. 

SJBK then tied the contest in the next time up, leading off the the top of the fourth with a triple to left field, being brought home from a groundout to the shortstop, tying the contest at three-all. 

Manhattanville retook the lead later on with an RBI sacrifice fly from the bat of Brezosky, plating McDonald after he led off with a double to left field. A sacrifice bunt in the next inning from Iazzetti gave the Valiants the fifth run of the contest, an a 5-3 lead. 

Joe's Brooklyn once again evened up the score in the top of the sixth, loading the bases with a single, double, and a hit-by-pitch. Paider brought in one runner, but the Valiant pitcher runner walked in, seeing the score tied once again, 5-5. 

Two walks would give way to Goohs, singling for the first of four runs in the inning. Osso now continued his day, this time in the batter's box, lacing a single to center field for another run, followed by Iazzetti plating two runs from his single to left field, having the book sit at 9-5. 

SJBK would net a consolation run thanks to a homerun to center field, but the Valiants would snatch the four-run lead right back with scoring on a wild pitch in the bottom of the eighth, for a final score of 10-6. 

Iazzetti netted the best outing of his college career, going 3-for-4, batting in three runs, as McDonald, Mezzaucella, Goohs, and Osso all followed behind with two hits. 

Gregory Esposito (Katonah, N.Y./John Jay) got the win on the mound for the Valiants, pitching two and one-third innings, striking out two batters. 

Ray White (Mohegan Lake, N.Y./Lakeland) earned the save for Manhattanville, pitching one and one-third scoreless innings for his first career save as a Valiant. 

Up Next 

Manhattanville prepared for another midweek bout, going across the Hudson to take on William Paterson on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. 

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