BROOKVILLE, N.Y. – After a weekend series on the road, the LIU baseball team returned home for a midweek non-conference date with Manhattan, sneaking past the Jaspers, 9-8. With the win, the Sharks improve to 21-11 winners of the six straight games.
LIU struck first in the bottom half of the opening frame on a two-run double from Christohper Wasson to open the lead at 2-0 after one. Each team tagged three runs in the second inning, with the Jaspers leading 3-2 after the top half.
The Sharks stormed back in the home half and scored three of their own, including a solo bomb from
Bentley Boekhout, to lead 5-3 after the second.
Manhattan tied the game in the fifth by scoring on an error, and LIU was unable to tie the contest after leaving two on base in the fifth. Entering the sixth,
EJ Exposito drew a walk and
Giovanni Ciaccio singled to right to put two on.
RJ Latkowski pinch hit and slapped a go-ahead RBI double to left, retaking the lead, 7-5.
The Jaspers would trim the lead to one, 7-6, after the top of the seventh. After the seventh inning stretch,
Christopher Hund led off with a double and made his way to third after Seth
Seth Surrett was called out on a bang-bang play at first.
Michael Edelman added to the Sharks lead on a single between the third baseman and shortstop, extending the lead to 8-6.
The offense was not done, as Exposito doubled down the left field line to put two in scoring postion for Ciaccio, who singled on the first pitch he saw to drive in a run. It was 9-6, LIU, after seven innings.
Manhattan would not go away easily, tagging two more runs across to bring the game within one run again. Latkowski was moved to the mound in relief of
Shane Tucker, and he was able to force the final two outs and strand two on base to preserve the lead.
Latkowski took the mound in the ninth for the five-out save, and he faced three batters and collected three outs on less than 10 pitches, earning the save.
Evan Panjwani was given the win after throwing three and a third without allowing an earned run.
Up next, the Sharks will host Wagner in a three-game series beginning on Thursday, April 14 at 3:00 p.m.
