PURCHASE, NY – Down four runs entering the bottom of the eighth and two runs entering the bottom of the ninth, the Manhattanville College baseball team reeled off 11 runs over the final two innings for a 17-14 win, capped by a two-out, three-run walk-off home run from freshman Hathaway Roper (Stratford, Conn./Bunnell) in a wild, four-hour, back-and-forth battle with MAC Freedom foe King's (Pa.) College Sunday afternoon at Manhattanville Field.

Roper finished with three hits and a game-high seven runs batted in for Manhattanville (12-15, 8-8 MACF), with all RBIs coming in the final two innings by way of a go-ahead grand slam in the eighth and the walk-off an inning later. Fellow freshmen Jack Matero (Hopewell Junction, N.Y./John Jay) and Luke Shaffer (Monroe, Conn./Masuk) finished a combined 6-for-11 with three runs scored and sophomores Stephen Merrill (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) and Peter Iannarilli (West Nyack, N.Y./Clarkstown South) finished a combined 4-for-10 with four runs and two RBI's. Senior Nick Campana (Yonkers, N.Y./St. John the Baptist Elementary), who didn't enter the game until the bottom of the sixth, finished 2-for-2 with two runs scored and three RBI's. Christian Pack, Chris Rebar, and Kyle Lupas each finished with at least two hits and two RBI's for King's (16-14, 9-9 MACF).

Merrill gave the Valiants a 1-0 lead in the second, singling in Shaffer, but the visitors took the lead with three in the third. Manhattanville answered right back with three in the bottom half of the inning as sophomore Matt Lynch (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) and Shaffer both delivered RBI doubles, and junior Luke Scoggins (Merrick, N.Y./Sanford H. Calhoun) drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. King's responded with two in the top of the fourth to take a 5-4 lead. Both offenses cooled from there, as King's held the one-run advantage into the bottom of the seventh, until Campana put the Valiants up 6-5 with a two-run single.

With two out in the top of the eighth and Manhattanville still up one, King's put seven straight men on base, scoring five times to grab a 10-6 lead. The Valiants opened the bottom of the inning with three straight singles and pushed their first run of the frame across on a Iannarilli sacrifice fly. After Merrill reached on an error that re-loaded the bases, Campana, after being down in the count 1-2, worked a walk that forced in a run. With the bases still loaded, Roper unloaded them with a grand slam to left, giving Manhattanville a 12-10 lead.

King's first four batters all reached base safely in the top of the ninth, with Rebar's two run single putting them in front 13-12. Matt Mellinger later added a sacrifice fly, but the Monarchs stranded the bases loaded to end the inning.

Scoggins led off the Manhattanville ninth with his third home run of the season, cutting the margin to one. After Matero and Shaffer followed with singles, Iannarilli reached on fielder's choice when his attempted sacrifice bunt turned into a force play at third, retiring Matero. After Merrill struck out swinging, bringing the Valiants down to their final out, junior Matt Coleman (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle), pinch-running for Shaffer, broke for third on a ball in the dirt that skipped away from King's catcher Zack Godfrey. Godfrey's throw to third wound up in left field, and Coleman scampered home with the tying run.

After Campana was hit by a pitch, Roper stepped in and on the first pitch of the at-bat, launched the walk-off shot to left field for the ninth and final lead change of the game, sending the Manhattanville faithful into a frenzy.

With the win, Manhattanville joins King's, against whom they own the tie-breaker by virtue of their season series win, with .500 MAC Freedom records in the battle for the fourth and final conference tournament spot.

The Valiants are back in action as their six-game home-stand continues tomorrow in a 4:00 non-conference battle with Western Connecticut State.