Cutler Scores Game Winner For Manhattan In Bottom of 9th
MAAC Sports
FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Andi Stallard’s base hit up the middle drove in Emily Cutler with the winning run as No. 6 seed Manhattan College defeated No. 4 seed Siena College, 5-4, in nine innings on Saturday in the 2014 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Softball Championship at Fairfield University’s Alumni Stadium.
Manhattan, now 24-28, advances to face top-seed Marist College on Saturday in the loser’s bracket championship. The winner of that game will advance to the championship final round to face No. 3 seed Iona.
Cutler opened the bottom of the ninth with a walk, and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Kate Bowen. After an intentional walk to Elena Bowman, a wild pitch advanced Cutler to third and Bowman to second. Amanda Paxson hit a sharp grounder to short which Siena’s Melanie Kalesse corralled and held both runners. Jenn Vazquez was then given an intentional pass, setting the stage for Stallard’s dramatic game winning hit.
Stallard worked a 2-2 count before lining Jessika-Jo Sandrini’s offering up the middle to score the winning run with two outs.
Siena had been cruising along through the first four innings with a 3-1 lead, scoring twice in the top of the first and adding another in the top of the third.
Manhattan, which had pushed across a solo run in the bottom of the first, scored twice in the fifth to tie it at 3-3. The Jaspers’ Anna Crowley, who had walked to lead off the inning, scored on an error when Kate Bowen reached. Bowen later scored on a single by Paxson.
Siena took a 4-3 lead in the top of the eighth when Paige Lloyd drove in pinch runner Courtney Stout with a base hit. But Manhattan’s Jenn Vazquez tied the game in the bottom half of the inning when she led off with a long home run, her 10th of the year, over the fence in right center.
Bowen earned the victory for the Jaspers, going the distance and throwing 153 pitches. Bowen allowed six hits, struck out five and walked five to raise her record to 12-7.
Stephanie Reinhardt had three hits for the Jaspers, while Vazquez had two hits and drove in a run. Bowen aided her own cause by scoring a pair of runs for Manhattan.
Sandrini absorbed the loss, allowing nine hits and striking out three. The Saints’ workhorse in the circle, Sandrini threw 163 pitches. She fell to 20-12 on the year.
Chelsey Drew and Lauren Milligan each had two hits to combine for four of the Saints’ six hits. Drew drove in a pair of runs for Siena, while Milligan had one RBI.
The Saints close out their season with a 29-26 record, setting a program record for victories in a single season.