Boxscore

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Manhattanville softball team sent a second straight team packing and held on for yet another game on Saturday afternoon at the 2011 Freedom Conference Softball Tournament, as the fourth-seeded Valiants advanced to the championship round with a 5-3 victory over top-seeded DeSales in game five of the tourney at King's (Pa.) College's Betzler Athletic Complex

Manhattanville (16-17, 8-6 Freedom) lives to play another game in Wilkes-Barre by advancing to the championship round of the Freedom Conference Tournament later today, where the Valiants will have to beat third-seeded King's (Pa.) College twice to take home the title. DeSales (22-13, 9-5 Freedom) has its season come to a close with the loss.

The top of the order did damage once again for Manhattanville, as senior Lindsay Zekus (Sleepy Hollow, N.Y./Sleepy Hollow) went 2 for 4 with a pair of runs scored and sophomore Lynsey Schill (Waterloo, Ont./St. David Catholic) went 2 for 3 with a run scored and a run batted in. Senior Nicole Bifulco (Howard Beach, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) also had two hits for the second straight game and drove in a run as well.

One day after allowing seven runs to DeSales, Howe (14-12) was in much better shape on Saturday, dancing in and out of trouble all game long and limiting the potent Bulldogs offense to six hits and three runs in a complete-game win, her career-high 14th of the season.

Also in contrast to yesterday's game between these two teams, it was Manhattanville that got on the board first in Saturday's opening frame. Zekus started it out again with a single and was sacrificed to second by Schill, and with two down Howe helped her own cause as she has done all year long with a single to center that plated Zekus with the game's first run.

After Howe stranded runners in scoring position in the first and second, the Valiant formula worked again in the third inning, as the visitors scratched together an unearned run to take a 2-0 lead. Sophomore Kim Angiolillo (White Plains, N.Y./Good Counsel Academy) worked a leadoff walk and was relieved at first base by classmate Erin Sidjak (Delta, British Columbia/Burnsview), who made it to second on a sac bunt by fellow sophomore Brianna Scapperotti (Harrison, N.Y./Harrison). Although Zekus was then retired for the first time all weekend on a grounder, Sidjak made it to third base and came home after a wayward attempt to nab her at third by first baseman Shelly McCarthy.

The Bulldogs got one back in the bottom of the third on a Kristin Schultz single, but once again Howe was able to limit the damage. With two down and no out, Scapperotti threw to third to nail the lead runner on a sacrifice attempt, and Howe then snagged a liner up the middle and turned it into a double play to end the frame.

Manhattanville got some breathing room in the top of the fifth, scoring three times to take a 5-1 lead. Back-to-back singles by Scapperotti and Zekus started the rally, while Schill knocked home the first run with a double down the left-field line. After a wild pitch scored Zekus and back-to-back walks to sophomore Jessica Van Galen (Bedford Hills, N.Y./Fox Lane) and Howe loaded the bases, Bifulco remained hot with a single up the middle to complete the rally.

DeSales countered again in the bottom half, plating a pair of runs, but Bifulco limited the damage by making a great diving stop on a ball up the middle and tagging the bag just before the oncoming runner for the third out. Howe did not allow the Bulldogs another baserunner after that, retiring the final six batters to bring the Valiants back to their first conference title round since 2007's Skyline Conference championship squad.