JERSEY CITY, N.J.- Saint Peter's University baseball junior
Nick Markantonatos (Portland, Ore.) and sophomore
Tyler Smith (Babylon, N.Y.) launched homeruns as the Peacocks split a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference twin bill with Manhattan College. The Peacocks took the opener 8-6, while the Jaspers won the nightcap 5-4.
The Peacocks move to 2-23 overall and 1-5 in the MAAC, while the Jaspers stand at 8-18 and 2-1 in conference play.
Saint Peter's took the early lead as Smith drove in two runs with a double as part of a four-run first inning rally. Manhattan got a run back in the second, but the Peacocks added to their lead in the third. Smith tacked on his third RBI of the day with run scoring single in third. Markantonatos added to their lead with a two-run homerun in the fourth for a 7-1 Peacock lead.
The Jaspers rallied back with five runs in the sixth and seventh to cut the score to 7-6. Senior
Anthony Abbatine (Warwick, N.Y.) added an insurance run for the Peacocks with a run scoring double in the seventh.
Junior
Christian Coombes (Ontario, Canada) tossed 6+ innings, allowing four runs on two hits with four strikeouts to earn the win. Junior
Michael Diforte (Staten Island, N.Y.) pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings, to lock down the save.
In the nightcap, Smith connected on a solo homerun in the second to give the Peacocks a 1-0 lead. Saint Peter's held the lead until the fifth when the Jaspers tied the game. Manhattan added three runs in the seventh to pull ahead 4-1.
The Peacocks rallied in their half of the seventh as Abbatine and junior
Sam Haney (Lake Oswego, Ore.) singled in runs to close the gap to 4-3. Manhattan tacked on a run in the eighth but Saint Peter's answered with a run in their half of the inning to keep the score to within a run a 5-4 but their ninth inning rally fell short.
The Peacocks return to action on Tuesday, April 4 as they travel to Monmouth University for a non-conference contest at 3 pm.
