MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - The Manhattanville baseball team split their doubleheader against Manchester (Ind.) by the scores of 9-5, and 3-13. In game one the Valiants staged a six run comeback in the bottom of the eighth inning to come away with the victory, with three run hits off the bats from freshman Bobby Guerra (Bronx, N.Y./Arlington) and senior Dan Fiorito (Yonkers, N.Y./Fordham Prep).

The first game opened up with Valiant starter Alex Basso (Putnam Valley, N.Y./Putnam Valley) retiring two of the first three batters he faced. However, the next five reached base with four runs coming around to score including freshman Kyle Norris stealing home. Basso eventually got out of the inning after allowing the four runs on three hits while stranding one Spartan on base.

Basso began to settle down and start hanging up some zeros, matching his Manchester counterpart Brian Tarnoski who set down nine of the first 11 Manhattanville batters until they came up in the fourth inning.

In the fourth senior Chris Nardozzi (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) got the rally started with a leadoff single and moved over to second on a wild pitch. Junior Sean Ferguson (Astoria, N.Y./Xavier) followed it up with a single and classmate John Bucci (Port Chester, N.Y./Port Chester) driving in the first run of the afternoon on a double. Junior John LoVetere loaded the bases with an infield single to chase home Ferguson. Freshman Nick Euvino (Elmsford, N.Y./Archbishop Stepinac) walked, but was erased on a double-play by sophomore Hans Arias (Bronx, N.Y./St. Raymond's), however Bucci did score on the play to pull Manhattanville back within one at 4-3.

Both Basso and Tarnoski matched goose eggs on the scoreboard in the fifth and sixth innings, but Manchester was able to scratch in a run during the seventh inning to give the Spartans a two run lead again.

Freshman Michael Lyon (North Babylon, N.Y./North Babylon) came on in the eighth inning for his collegiate debut and hit the first batter he saw, but settled down and retired the next three batters to bridge the Valiants to the bottom of the eighth.

In the bottom half of the frame, Bucci singled and LoVetere followed with a double. Euvino grounded out but his teammates backed him up as junior Matt Petrunti (East Granby, Conn./Loomis-Chaffee) hit an infield single to load the bases setting up Guerra who pinch hit for fellow freshman T.J. Hewett (Wethersfield, Conn./Wethersfield). Euvino doubled to centerfield to chase home all three runners and give the Valiants their first lead of the game at 6-5.

The Valiants weren't done as freshman Kevin Brady (Bronx, N.Y./Fordham Prep) hit an infield single to set up Fiorito with two on and two out. Fiorito smacked a three run homerun to top off the Manhattanville six run rally and give his team some breathing room heading to the top of the ninth.

In the last chance for Manchester, Lyon walked the first batter but got the next to pop out into a double play. Lyon got Norris to ground out to end the game and give Manhattanville their second win of the season heading into game two of their doubleheader with the Spartans.

Lyon picked up the win in relief to move to 1-0 on the season, Basso got through the first seven innings allowing five runs on eight hits. Taking the loss was junior Caleb McAfee who allowed all six of Manhattanville's six runs in the bottom of the eighth inning.

In game two the Valiants fell by the score of 13-3. The Valiants got on the board in the top of the first inning as Nardozzi drove in sophomore Elias Tsouristakis (New Rochelle, N.Y./Fordham Prep) who walked to lead off the game but it was all the Valiants could get in the opening frame, leaving two on base in the process.

In the bottom of the first, the Spartans answered back with three quick runs off of Manhattanville sophomore Matt Mullin (New York, N.Y./St. John's Prep). He got out of the second inning unscathed but Manchester came back with three more runs in the third inning after Mullin loaded the bases with the first three batters of the inning followed by back-to-back singles to balloon the Manchester lead up to 6-1.

In the fourth Manhattanville went down 1-2-3 and in the bottom of the inning, the Spartans tacked on two more runs off of senior relief pitcher A.J. Marini (Fair Lawn, N.J./Paramus Catholic). Both teams were unable to muster any hits or produce any runs in the fifth or sixth innings.

In the top of the seventh, sophomore Ryan Blinderman (Richmond Hill, Ontario/Fairfield Warde (Conn.)) led off the frame with a walk and moved to second on a groundout, Fiorito continued his hot start to the season and chased Blinderman home with an RBI single. Just as it looked as if Manhattanville could claw back into the game the Spartans scratched out two more runs in the bottom of the seventh to advance the score to 10-2.

Manhattanville got another run closer in the eighth inning as freshman Nate Trashansky (Babylon, N.Y./North Babylon) picked up his first career hit and was brought around to score on a single from Ferguson. In the bottom half of the frame rookie Zak Zareva (Warren, N.J./Watchung Hills Regional) made his collegiate debut and allowed three runs on two hits in just the one inning of work.

Down 13-3, Manhattanville got last licks but were only able to muster a base hit as Manchester closed out the game to win by a 10 run margin. Collecting the win was senior Beau Shenefield for the Spartans after allowing three runs on six hits after being pulled in the eighth inning.

For the Valiants, Mullin took the loss allowing six runs, five earned, on four hits in just three innings of work. Marini played the role of mop-up man and pitched four innings of long-relief while allowing just one earned run on five hits in four innings of work. Zareva finished the game with his inning of work.

Manhattanville (2-1) continues play in Myrtle Beach, S.C. when they play both Penn State-Abington at 12:00 p.m. followed by a game against Roanoke at 3:00 p.m. Manchester (3-1) finishes their spring break trip tomorrow with a doubleheader against Manhattanville's Freedom Conference foes, Wilkes Colonels with first pitch slated for 12:00 p.m. There is a chance of thunderstorms in the Myrtle Beach area tomorrow, so be sure to check GoValiants.com for all the latest information from South Carolina.