COLUMBIA, S.C. -
The Manhattan baseball team's thrilling 2012 season came to a close
Saturday falling 11-1 to Coastal Carolina (42-18) in an elimination
game of the NCAA Championship Columbia Regional at Carolina Stadium in
Columbia, S.C. The two-time defending MAAC champions enjoy a thrilling program record 60-win season that
featured Manhattan (33-27) winning four games in three days to capture
the MAAC crown. Head coach
Jim Duffy kept up the winning tradition at Manhattan in his first year
on the job guiding the Jaspers to the program's seventh straight 30-win
campaign.
Chanticleers'
starting pitcher Tyler Herb went the distance throwing a two-hitter with
five strikeouts and no earned runs. The sophomore right-hander let up
just three walks and improved to 9-2 on the year. The Chanticleers
moved on to face the loser of Saturday's South Carolina-Clemson game in
another elimination contest on Sunday.
Coastal
Carolina took a one run lead in the bottom of the first inning on right
fielder Daniel Bowman's sacrifice fly and never trailed in the contest.
The Jaspers held close until the sixth inning, eventually tying the game
at 1-1. Manhattan manufactured its run after a lead off walk to junior
second baseman Nick Camastro. Camastro stole second and then scored after a junior first baseman Kyle Murphy's sacrifice bunt and throwing error by Chanticleers' third baseman Tripp Martin.
Sophomore starter Scott McClennan gave
the Jaspers 5 1/3 strong innings in the first NCAA Tournament
appearance of his young career. McClennan struck out two batters and did
not give up a walk. Coastal Carolina scored a pair of runs that were
credited to McClennan in the sixth inning breaking the 1-1 tie.
Sophomore
centerfielder Jacob May got the Chanticleers going in the sixth inning
with a lead off single just out of reach of diving Murphy at first base.
Senior right fielder Daniel Bowman tacked on a double that put runners
on second and third base with no one out setting up back-to-back
sacrifice flies from Coastal Carolina senior first baseman Rich Witten
and designated hitter Alex Buccilli making it a 3-1 ballgame.
Manhattan senior right-hander Mike Giordano
came out of the bullpen getting three outs for the second straight day
before May got a good swing on him with one out in the seven inning for a
three-run homer. Giordano finished his career at Manhattan tied for
fifth in program history with 22 career wins and he is third all-time
with 65 career appearances.
Coastal Carolina
tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the seventh inning beginning
with a RBI single from first baseman Rich Witten. Buccilli added a
one-run double to right field and second baseman Justin Creel drove in
the last run with Coastal Carolina's fourth sacrifice fly.
The Chanticleers
scored their final two runs in the eighth inning. Freshman Adam Eggnatz
and Witten went back-to-back with RBI singles.
Jaspers' freshman reliever Michael Scarinci got Manhattan two outs in relief, while senior left-hander Matt Jordan notched another. Manhattan sophomore reliever Jacob Marchus finished off the final two outs of the season.
This season marked
the first time in program history that Manhattan played in the NCAA
Tournament in back-to-back years, as well as the Jaspers' second
consecutive MAAC championship.