Game One
Manhattan Jaspers (9-6, 9-6 MAAC) - 2
Monmouth Hawks (7-2, 7-2 MAAC) - 1
 
Game Two
(9 inn.)
Manhattan Jaspers (10-6, 10-6 MAAC) - 7
Monmouth Hawks (7-3, 7-3 MAAC) - 5
 
 
WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – The Monmouth University softball team dropped a pair of close games on Friday, falling to Manhattan 2-1 and 7-5.
 
Each team scored a run in the seventh inning in game one, but a Monmouth fielding error in the top of the second proved to be the difference.
 
Manhattan jumped out to a 5-0 lead in game two, but Monmouth came storming back, eventually tying it in the bottom of the sixth with a three-run home run from senior Erika Coreth (Sewell, NJ/Washington Township). The Jaspers took the lead in extra innings on a two-RBI double.
 
Despite the two losses, senior pitcher Alyssa Irons (Rock Creek, OH/Jefferson Area/Hofstra) tossed an impressive 14.1 total innings on the day, allowing just three earned runs and striking out 16 batters.
 
Senior Deangie Jimenez (Haverstraw, NY/North Rockland), senior Tommi Stowers (Columbus, IN/Columbus North/Western Kentucky), and junior Danielle Dominik (Woodwich, NJ/Kingsway Regional) all added an RBI on the day.
 
Monmouth drops to 7-3 (7-3 MAAC) on the season, and will host Manhattan again tomorrow.   
 
NOTES AND QUOTES
 
"Both games today were hard fought. There is no doubt we'll make the necessary adjustments. We look forward to growing as a team tomorrow." – Monmouth assistant coach Marisa DeStasio
 
-Manhattan got on the board first in game one, reaching on two fielding errors.
-Neither team scored again until the top of the seventh, when the Jaspers extended their lead to 2-0 with an RBI single.
-The Hawks cut the deficit in half in the bottom half, as Dominik hit an RBI single to score junior Lindsey Baron, who doubled.
-Monmouth loaded the bases with two outs, but Manhattan got the strikeout to end the game.
 
-In game two, Manhattan scored three runs in the first and added two more in the second to go ahead 5-0.
-The Hawks got one back in the bottom of the third, as Stowers hit into a fielder's choice to score senior Katie Harrington.
-In the bottom of the fifth, Coreth and Stowers hit back-to-back singles to start the inning. Jimenez later scored Coreth with a foul out.
-Freshman Julia Thuer roped a double to left center in the bottom of the sixth, and was bumped to third by a Harrington single.
-Coreth then launched a three-run home run to left field to tie the game.
-In the bottom of the seventh, Monmouth put runners on first and third with no outs, but the next three batters struck out.
-Manhattan regained the lead in the top of the ninth with a two-RBI double, and retired Monmouth in the bottom half.
 
NUMBERS CRUNCH
-Coreth went 4-for-8 on the day with the home run, three RBI, and two runs. She now has eight home runs in her career, including two this year. Coreth is now tied with Thuer for the team lead in RBI with 10.
-Irons lowered her ERA to 1.79 on the season. She has pitched 47.0 innings with 49 strikeouts.
-Jimenez went 3-for-6 on the day, including a double in the ninth inning of game two.
 
UP NEXT
Monmouth will face Manhattan again tomorrow at 1:15 and 3:15 PM.