Boxscore

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – Top-seeded DeSales University scored six times in the first three innings and cruised the rest of the way to earn a 7-1 win over fourth-seeded Manhattanville in game one of the 2011 Freedom Conference Softball Tournament, played on Friday afternoon at the Robert L. Betzler Athletic Complex on the campus of King's (Pa.) College.

DeSales (22-11, 9-5 Freedom) advances to the winner's bracket with the victory, and will return to action later this afternoon at approximately 3 p.m. against the winner of today's second game between second-seeded FDU-Florham and third-seeded King's. Manhattanville (14-17, 8-4 Freedom) will face the loser of FDU-Florham and King's in an elimination contest tomorrow starting at 9 a.m.

DeSales came out swinging against Valiant senior ace Samantha Howe (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./John Jay), scoring twice in each of the first three innings to build up a 6-1 advantage. The first four batters of the game reached to start things out for the Bulldogs, resulting in a pair of early runs, but Howe did well to strand runners on second and third and keep the score manageable after one.

Howe helped her own cause in the top of the second, getting one of those runs back by lining a homer to left field on the second pitch she saw. But the DeSales offense kept coming, as the designated home team came back with four runs (only one earned) over the next two frames to gain a comfortable lead.

Meanwhile, the Valiant offense struggled all game long against DeSales starter Jen Lococo (10-5), recording just four hits on the day. Senior Lindsay Zekus (Sleepy Hollow, N.Y./Sleepy Hollow) had a pair of hits with a single and a double, while junior Ashley Dell (Huntington Station, N.Y./Huntington) and Howe also had hits for the visitors.

Lococo struck out four and did not issue a walk in picking up the victory. Howe (12-12) suffered the loss for Manhattanville, allowing seven runs (four earned) on 10 hits. The senior struck out four and walked four during her outing as well.