Manhattan at Dartmouth
HANOVER, N.H. (Interstat) — Joseph Duffield pitched six innings of no-hit baseball for Manhattan, but a lone run in the fifth inning was enough for Dartmouth to claim a 1-0 victory Sunday at Red Rolfe Field at Biondi Park.
The Big Green improved to 14-23 overall. The Jaspers dropped to 16-25.
Duffield struck out four and allowed one earned run despite not surrendering a hit. The only run came in the bottom of the fifth when Nico Banez, who reached on a hit-by-pitch, scored on Sam Andersen’s triple to right-center field. Andersen finished 1-for-3 with the RBI.
Dartmouth’s Mac Burke earned the win in relief, tossing five innings of three-hit ball with one strikeout and no earned runs. Nate Kugler started and worked four innings, allowing one hit while striking out five. Garrett Theile pitched two scoreless innings of relief for Manhattan, striking out one.
The game was a pitchers’ duel from the outset. Manhattan had scoring chances in the second, fourth, sixth and seventh innings but could not push a run across. In the second, Sute Hunter and Justin Best walked, but a fielder’s choice erased Hunter at third. In the fourth, Lewis Andre walked, advanced on a wild pitch and moved to third on a single by Best, but the inning ended with a strikeout and a flyout.
Manhattan loaded the bases in the sixth on a single by Sam Vinc, a fielder’s choice and a walk, but a groundout ended the threat. In the seventh, Matthews Pa singled and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt, then to third on a groundout, but a groundout stranded him.
Dartmouth had opportunities as well, stranding runners in scoring position in the second, sixth, seventh and eighth innings. The Big Green used two sacrifice bunts, one in the second and another in the seventh, to advance runners.
The most decisive sequence came in the bottom of the fifth. After Banez was hit by a pitch, Andersen tripled to right-center, plating Banez for the game’s only run. Dartmouth added doubles by Tyler Sirchia in the sixth, Alejandro Puig in the seventh and pinch hitter A.J. DeMastrie in the eighth, but Manhattan’s pitching held the Big Green to that single tally.
Manhattan managed four hits total, with singles from Vinc, Best, Pa and Lewis Andre. Dartmouth had six hits, including Andersen’s triple, Sirchia’s double, Puig’s double, DeMastrie’s double, and singles from Jack Espiritu Niswonger and Chris Miller. Miller also stole a base in the sixth.
The game was the third of a weekend series. Dartmouth had beaten Manhattan 13-2 in the first game of a doubleheader Saturday, while Manhattan won the second game 11-3.
Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Dartmouth 5, Manhattan 4. Interstat’s ELO system gave Dartmouth a 53.60 percent probability to win.