March 28, 2010

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POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - Junior left fielder Ricky Pacione (Newburgh, N.Y.) belted a three-run triple in the bottom of the seventh, helping propel the Marist baseball team to a 7-5 win over Manhattan in the finale of a three-game Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) series. With the win, the Red Foxes took two out of three from the Jaspers, who were picked to finish first in the conference's preseason poll.

Pacione's double was the final blow in a five-run Marist rally in the bottom of the seventh, one which saw the Red Foxes erase a 5-2 deficit. With Manhattan trailing 2-1 in the top of the seventh, left fielder Mark Onorati hit a grand slam on a 3-2 pitch with one out, giving the Jaspers a three-run lead.

However, the Red Foxes fought back in the bottom of the inning, as they scored all five of their runs with two outs. An RBI single by senior second baseman John Prano (Oviedo, Fla.) scored freshman third baseman Richard Curylo (Staten Island, N.Y.) followed by reaching on an error, moving Prano to second while freshman center fielder Ryan Gauck (Clifton Park, N.Y.) followed by drawing a walk to load the bases, setting the stage for Pacione's heroics.

Shank and Prano led Marist with three hits apiece. Shank went 3-for-4 with a run scored, while Prano went 3-for-5 with three runs scored and an RBI.

Red-shirt sophomore left-hander Brendan Chapin (South Weymouth, Mass.) pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning with a strikeout for his first save of the season.

For Manhattan, starter Tom Costigan allowed two runs in 5.1 innings. John Soldinger pitched the final 2.2 and took the loss, falling to 0-1.

Marist is now 11-9 overall and 2-1 in the MAAC; Manhattan is 11-9 and 1-2 in the MAAC.

The Red Foxes will close out their four-game homestand on Tuesday, when they face Bryant in a non-conference game. First pitch is set for 3 p.m.