RIVERDALE, N.Y. – The Fairfield University softball team dropped a pair of Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) games on Saturday afternoon as Manhattan College rallied to take a 6-5 extra inning decision in the first game before taking the second game by a 5-2 count.
The Stags had the lead on two different occasions but the Jaspers found a way to rally in both situations. Fairfield secured a 1-0 lead in the third inning when
Haley Updegraff led off with a triple down the right field line before she came home off a bunt from
Madison Robicheau.
The visitors added to their advantage in the fifth inning, plating a pair of runs that improved the lead to 3-0.
Morgan Sylvestre jump started the Stags offense with a base hit that was fielded by the third baseman but turned into a single. After a fly ball to the outfield, Robicheau and Warren followed with single to put a runner on all three bases.
Kaitlin Hoffman continued the rally with a single down the line that pushed home two runs to account for the scoring.
Manhattan came back to tie the game in the bottom of the inning with three runs of its own, a rally that began with a walk. A pair of singles followed the free pass with the second driving home the team's first run. The other two runs crossed the plate courtesy of a ground out and a double to send the game into the sixth inning equal at 3-3.
While both teams a opportunities over the next few innings, it wasn't until the ninth inning when the offense started to find its way once again. Fairfield grabbed the lead in its half of the inning because of a pair of RBI singles from Hoffman and
Delaney Whieldon to make the score 5-3. The Jaspers rallied for the final time in the bottom of the ninth with the damage coming from a three-run homer by Lauren Rende that gave Manhattan its first lead as well as the victory.
In game two, the home team opened the scoring with three runs in the third inning and followed with another run in the fourth to take command of the game at 4-0. The first three runs resulted from a pair of walks and a three-run homer from Gabriella Mazzotta while the fourth run manifested itself from a leadoff double and a two-out RBI single.
Fairfield used a fast start to the fifth inning to cut the deficit two runs with
Allie Bridgman and
Anna Paravati each collecting a single to put runners on first and second.
Morgan Sylvestre followed with an RBI double and later came home when Updegraff placed a base hit just inside the left field line to bring the score to 4-2.
Manhattan padded its lead with a run in the sixth inning with a solo home run that pushed the score to 5-2.
Fairfield returns to non-conference play on Wednesday when the team travels to Columbia University for a 4 pm match up.
