Manhattan Doubled Up By Volunteers

Box Score (Game 1)

Box Score (Game 2)

RIVERDALE, N.Y. -- On Saturday afternoon, the Manhattan College baseball team dropped a pair of games to SEC mainstay Tennessee in Knoxville. In the first game, the Jaspers (2-8) lost 11-5. Manhattan lost a nail-biter, 3-2, in the second game.

In the opener, Manhattan spotted the Volunteers an early 4-0 lead when Tennessee scored two runs apiece in the second and third innings.

The Jaspers stormed back with a three-spot in the top of the fourth. Senior outfielder Mike McCann got the Jaspers on the board with a double, scoring sophomore Anthony Vega. Two batters later, sophomore Nick Camastro 's sacrifice fly scored McCann. Freshman catcher Mikey Miranda completed the scoring with a single, driving in senior Austin Sheffield .

The Vols tacked on another pair in the bottom of the fourth, making it 6-4. But Camastro collected his second sacrifice fly RBI of the game when his fly out to left field scored McCann. The Jaspers had a chance to tie the game later in the inning, but after Miranda's single, Sheffield, who was on first, was thrown out at third trying to advance.

Tennessee broke the game open in the bottom of the seventh by scoring five runs, capped by senior Matt Duffy's grand slam. Jared Hirchsberg took the loss for Manhattan (0-2), going five innings, allowing 11 hits on six earned runs. McCann and Miranda each had three hits and drove in a run.

Tennessee's Dre Steckenrider got his first win of the season by going 5 1/3 innings, allowing three earned runs on four hits.

In the second game, sophomore lefthander Eric Luksis  went the distance, pitching a complete game and allowing just two earned runs on just six hits. A tight affair, the game was decided on a bases-loaded walk to Tennessee's Zach Osborne with the game tied 2-all in the bottom of the fourth.

The Jaspers were spotted an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first when senior outfielder Mark Onorati slammed his team-leading third homer of the season over the left field wall. It was Onorati's sixth RBI in 2011. Tennessee retook the lead in the bottom of the second on Ethan Bennett's two-run home run.

Manhattan struck back to the tie the game in the top of the fourth when Camastro continued his solid Saturday with a RBI single to drive home McCann. Luksis (0-2) struck out two and walked a pair.

Levi Dean (3-0) picked up the win for the Vols by going four innings, allowing three hits on one earned run.

Manhattan concludes their four-game series with Tennessee Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. from Knoxville, Tenn.