Game 1 Boxscore
Game 2 Boxscore

ST. DAVIDS, Pa. – Senior Samantha Howe (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./John Jay) continued her dominance of the Freedom Conference on Sunday afternoon at Eastern University, allowing just one earned run in two complete-game victories as the Valiants swept the Eagles, 4-1 and 6-1, in a conference doubleheader at the Eastern Softball Field.

Howe (9-4) was tremendous yet again for the Valiants, allowing just two runs (one earned) on nine hits in 14 innings of work. The senior struck out 14 over the two contests, including a career-high tying nine in game one.

At the plate, sophomore Jessica Van Galen (Bedford Hills, N.Y./Fox Lane) and junior Ashley Dell (Huntington Station, N.Y./Huntington) both went 3 for 6, with Van Galen driving in three runs and Dell plating a pair. Seven different Valiants also scored a run while five drove in at least one.

In game one, Manhattanville got Howe all the runs she would need with a pair in the first inning, then scored insurance tallies in the sixth and seventh frames on the way to a 4-1 win.

Van Galen did the damage in the first inning, as her two-out double to right center scored seniors Lindsay Zekus (Sleepy Hollow, N.Y./Sleepy Hollow) and Nicole Bifulco (Howard Beach, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) to put the visitors up early. The Eagles got one unearned run back in the bottom of the first, but Howe escaped further damage by inducing a pair of ground-ball outs with the bases loaded to keep the Valiants in front.

Manhattanville added insurance runs in each of the last two frames, as Dell poked an RBI single in the sixth and sophomore Kim Angiolillo (White Plains, N.Y./Good Counsel Academy) cranked a home run to left field in the seventh.

Those runs turned out not to be needed, however, as Howe allowed just one runner to touch third base after the first inning. The senior righthander allowed just four hits and one unearned run in the win, while striking out nine and working around five walks.

Game two was a little easier for Howe and the Valiants, as the visitors took advantage of some wild Eastern pitching to score five runs in the first on the way to a 6-1 victory and the doubleheader sweep.

It was not a pretty start to the game for Eagles' hurler Maggie McGowan (5-4), allowing five runs on just one hit in the first inning. After walks to Zekus and sophomore Brianna Scapperotti (Harrison, N.Y./Harrison) to start the frame, sophomore Lynsey Schill (Waterloo, Ont./St. David Catholic) reached on an RBI fielder's choice and Van Galen then delivered the team's only hit of the inning with an RBI single to put the Valiants up 2-0. Back-to-back walks and a pair of Eastern errors combined to score the Valiants' final three runs of the frame, giving MVille some early breathing room.

Howe's game-two outing followed the same script as game one, as she allowed one run in the first inning and then completely shut down the Eagles the rest of the way. The senior scattered three hits over the final six innings and allowed just one runner to reach third base yet again, finishing with five strikeouts and giving up just one run on five hits.

Manhattanville (10-6, 7-1 Freedom) will return home for an eight-game homestand starting on Wednesday, when the Valiants host Western Connecticut State University for two non-conference games at Manhattanville Field starting at 3:30 p.m.