Courtesy Ithaca/Trinity Sports Information

AUBURN, N.Y. - The fifth-seeded Trinity Bantams scored seven runs in the first two innings, then used late home runs to thwart fifth-seeded Manhattanville's rally on their way to a 15-6 win in the opening game of the NCAA New York Regional.

A rain delay of nearly 2:45 pushed the start of the game (scheduled for 10 a.m.) back to 2:45 p.m. Trinity advances to play Thursday at 4 p.m. against an opponent to be determined; the Valiants, in their first NCAA playoff appearance, will face top-seeded Cortland St. in Wednesday's final game.

The Bantams scored three two-out runs in the first - highlighted by a two-run single from sophomore second baseman Ryan Piacentini (Portland, Maine) - and tacked on four more in the second. Piacentini doubled in a run in that rally two batters after junior outfielder Matt Stafford (Plymouth, Mass.) doubled in a pair of runs.

After Manhattanville rallied to cut the Bantams' 7-1 lead to 7-6, Trinity hit a pair of home runs to pull away. Junior shortstop Thomas DiBenedetto (Fort Myers, Fla.) hit a three-run home run in the seventh and Stafford hit a two-run shot in the eighth.

The Valiants rallied for four runs in the fourth and one in the sixth. Sophomore outfielder Jason Monforte (White Plains, N.Y.) singled in a run in the fourth and errors by Trinity's right fielder and shortstop let in three more runs. Manhattanville brought the tying run to the plate, but sophomore first baseman Jason Gonzalez (Teaneck, N.J.) was picked off second to end the inning.

Manhattanville's sixth-inning rally also ended with an out on the basepaths; freshman third baseman A.J. Triano (Rye, N.Y.) singled in sophomore outfielder Stephen Pinto (Yonkers, N.Y.) with one out but three batters later Triano was thrown out at the plate by Stafford trying to score on a base hit by junior second baseman Thomas Verrengia (Staten Island, N.Y.).

Stafford, Piacentini and DiBenedetto combined to drive in nine runs for Trinity. Stafford and Piacentini both finished with three hits; DiBenedetto, freshman first baseman Kent Graham (Longmeadow, Mass.), freshman right fielder James Wood (Windham, N.H.) and senior first baseman Ben Silvanic (Granby, Conn.) had two hits apiece.

Junior Chandler Barnard (Lubbock, Texas) improved to 9-1 for the Bantams, earning the win despite allowing seven hits and six runs in 5.2 innings.

Verrengia, Triano and freshman shortstop Paul Blejec (Bronx, N.Y.) each had two of Manhattanville's 10 hits.