Game 1 Boxscore
Game 2 Boxscore

MADISON, N.J. – The Manhattanville softball team was shut down by some excellent FDU-Florham pitching on Friday afternoon at McManus Field, as the Valiants dropped both ends of a key Freedom Conference doubleheader to the Devils, 4-1 and 2-0.

The two losses drop Manhattanville (10-13, 7-4 Freedom) out of first place for the first time since the second weekend of the conference season, as the Valiants now sit in a tie for second place with King's (Pa.) College with three Freedom games remaining. FDU-Florham (13-13, 9-3 Freedom) now assumes the top spot and has a 1.5-game cushion on the Valiants and Monarchs.

It was a tough day at the plate for Manhattanville, as the Valiants managed just one run and eight hits off the FDU pitching tandem of Megan McInaw and Karla Babb. Senior Samantha Howe (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./John Jay) pitched well as usual for Manhattanville, ceding six runs in 12 innings, but the lack of run support resulted in a pair of losses.

Game one was a frustrating contest for the Valiants, as senior Lindsay Zekus (Sleepy Hollow, N.Y./Sleepy Hollow) led off the game with a home run but the visitors did not cross home plate again in suffering a 4-1 loss.

Zekus' homer gave the Valiants some momentum at the start and Howe nearly continued that momentum later in the frame, but her bid for a three-run homer was stolen away by centerfielder Ronica Sorice, who went over the fence to bring back the shot to center. After that, the Valiants managed just two hits in the final six innings.

FDU-Florham came back with four runs in the bottom of the second off Howe, stringing together five hits and taking advantage of two Valiant errors. While it was the only inning in which the Devils did any damage against the Valiant ace, it was enough.

Howe (9-8) allowed four runs (three earned) on eight hits in six innings, while striking out five Devil hitters. McInaw had a great game in the circle for the visitors, allowing just one run on six hits with eight strikeouts to earn the win.

Game two was no better for Manhattanville, as Babb allowed just two hits in seven frames to outduel Howe in a 2-0 Devils' victory.

Babb was excellent against the Valiants, scattering two singles and striking out four in the complete-game shutout. Howe (9-9) again pitched well enough to win, but her line of two runs allowed on seven hits and four strikeouts was not enough when the opposition was posting all zeroes.

Howe nearly matched Babb pitch-for-pitch in game two, but one mistake to FDU's game-one pitcher proved to be the difference. With one out in the fourth inning, McInaw homered to left field to put her team up by a run, and that proved to be the only one needed on the day. The Devils added an insurance run in the sixth inning as well.

Manhattanville's only two hits of the contest came in the fourth frame on a clean single to left center by sophomore Jessica Van Galen (Bedford Hills, N.Y./Fox Lane) and a one-out single by Howe in the seventh.

The Valiants return to Freedom Conference play on Monday at 4 p.m., as the Valiants host Misericordia University in the makeup of the postponed contest from last Saturday at Manhattanville Field.  FDU-Florham will travel to New Jersey City University on Thursday at 3 p.m.