POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. (Interstat) — In a wild Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference opener that defied pregame projections, the Manhattan Jaspers outlasted the Marist Red Foxes 12-10 on Friday at James J. McCann Baseball Field.

The game, which began in the afternoon and concluded under evening lights, saw Manhattan build a large lead, nearly surrender it during a chaotic Marist rally, and then add critical insurance runs late to secure the victory. The Jaspers improved to 6-5 overall and 1-0 in the MAAC, while the Red Foxes remained winless, falling to 0-11 and 0-1.

The most important sequence of the game unfolded in the bottom of the fifth inning, transforming a controlled contest into a back-and-forth affair. Manhattan had taken a 6-1 lead, capitalizing on a two-run single by Colin Baseshore in the fourth and a four-run fifth that featured a two-run single from Ryan Lordier and an RBI single from Baseshore.

Jaspers starter Connor Throneberry had been dominant through four innings, striking out eight without allowing a hit, though he had walked six. He departed with two outs in the fifth, having allowed six earned runs. Reliever Chris Fidanza entered with the bases loaded and promptly walked TJ Baer to force in a run. A wild pitch then scored another, cutting Manhattan’s lead to 6-4.

Fidanza struggled to find the strike zone, walking Noel Rivera to reload the bases before walking Connor Lawrence to bring Marist within a run. Kyle Pollack then delivered the biggest blow of the day for the Red Foxes, clearing the bases with a three-run double to right-center field. The hit capped a seven-run inning for Marist, giving them an improbable 8-6 lead and erasing Manhattan’s early advantage.

The Jaspers responded immediately. After being held scoreless in the sixth and seventh, they reclaimed the lead in the eighth. Guriyandel Salva singled and scored on a triple by Jeremy Sosa. Sosa then scored on a Marist error, and Andreaus Lewis followed with an RBI single to put Manhattan back ahead 9-8.

Marist tied it in the bottom of the eighth against Hudson Pergamit. AJ Brotz was hit by a pitch, advanced to third on a single by Drew McGowan, and scored on a groundout by Luke Monico. Pergamit stranded the go-ahead run, however, to keep the game tied.

Manhattan manufactured the decisive runs in the ninth without a hit. Lordier, who finished 3 for 4 with two RBIs, led off with a single, stole second, advanced to third on a passed ball, and scored on a balk by reliever Logan Scholl. After two walks, Jeremy Sosa added a sacrifice fly to provide a critical insurance run.

Pergamit returned for the ninth, striking out Connor Lawrence and Kyle Pollack swinging to end the game and strand the potential tying run at the plate. He earned the win with two innings of relief, allowing one earned run and striking out three.

Marist starter Will Taylor took a hard-luck loss, allowing two earned runs on no hits over 3 2/3 innings, walking four and striking out three. The Red Foxes’ bullpen could not hold the lead his offense provided.

The result stood in stark contrast to pregame simulations. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a 5-0 Manhattan shutout, while its ELO system gave Marist a 55.9% probability to win. Instead, the teams combined for 22 runs on 17 hits, with 22 walks and six hit batters.

Manhattan continues its three-game series at Marist on Saturday. The Red Foxes will look for their first win of the season, while the Jaspers aim to build on their conference-opening victory.