FISHKILL, New York – After scoring just two runs on three hits through the first six innings, the Marist baseball team erupted for 10 runs on four hits in the final three innings of the game to secure a 12-2 win at the Manhattan Jaspers on Sunday.

With a win in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader plus the victory on Sunday, the Red Foxes picked up their fifth Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference series win of the year and improved to 24-17 (12-6 MAAC) overall. The victory also pushed Marist to seven games over .500 and gives the team a .585 winning percentage overall,  the best of the season and improves the Red Foxes to 23-7 in their last 30 games.

SUMMARY:

Marist opened the scoring in the top of the first inning when senior Andrew Rouse doubled to right center with one out. Redshirt senior Greg Kocinski and redshirt sophomore Tyler Kapuscinski both followed with walks and junior Frankie Gregoire ripped a two RBI single through the left side that scored both Rouse and Kocinski to give the Red Foxes an early 2-0 lead.

The Jaspers trimmed the deficit to one run in the bottom of the inning. After the leadoff batter struck out, a single and back-to-back walks loaded the bases with one out. A sacrifice fly by the next batter then scored the run from third and after one inning the score was 2-1 in favor of Marist.

Two innings later, Manhattan evened the score with a leadoff single, followed by a wild pitch that advanced the runner to second. The following batter then laced an RBI single up the middle that tied the game up at 2-2.

Neither team was able to break the deadlock until the top of the seventh. Junior Randy Taveras reached on a fielding error by the third baseman, redshirt junior Chris Tracz was hit by a pitch and freshman Nick Cantone reached on a fielder's choice with Tracz reaching second safely on a fielding error by the second baseman to load the bases with no outs. Freshman Reece Armitage followed with an RBI ground out that also moved Cantone to second and Tracz to third and after a strikeout, Rouse reached on a fielding error by the right fielder that allowed both runners to score and gave the Red Foxes a 5-2 lead.

Marist then added two more runs in the eighth on a Tracz sac fly and Cantone RBI double and pushed across five more runs in the ninth on a Kapuscinski RBI fielder's choice that was followed by a run scoring on an error, a Gregoire RBI single, a Taveras RBI single and an Armitage RBI bases loaded walk.

Defensively, senior Mike Coss kept the Jaspers off the bases and the scoreboard, throwing three innings of no run and no hit ball with three strikeouts to secure the win and his seventh save of the year.

KEY STATS:

• The Red Foxes outhit Manhattan 7-6 on the day
• From the 1^st-6^th innings, the Jaspers outhit Marist 6-3, however, from the 7^th-9^th innings, the Red Foxes outhit Manhattan 4-0
• The Jaspers stranded 6 runners in the first 6 innings and 0 in the final three, while Marist stranded 3 runners in the first six innings and 5 in the final three

GAME NOTES:

• Sophomore Conor McNamara picked up his first win of the season, throwing 6.0 IP, his longest outing since 3/25 vs Monmouth
• Gregoire's 3 RBI tied a season high and his 2 hits gave him 5 multi-hit games in his last 8 games played
• Taveras' 3 hits tied a season high and also marked his 4^th straight multi-hit game and his 6^th in the last 7 games total

UP NEXT:

The Red Foxes have a week off from competition due to final exams for the Spring semester and return home to McCann Field for the final time this season when they host the Quinnipiac Bobcats in a nine and seven inning doubleheader next Saturday (Noon) and a single nine inning game next Sunday (Noon). Prior to the game on Sunday, a ceremony will be held to honor the careers of Spencer Bunting, Mike Coss, Charlie Jerla, Greg Kocinski, Thomas Henderson, Tony Romanelli, Andrew Rouse and Chris Tracz.