Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 CLERMONT, Fla. – It was a tough first day of Spring Break for the Manhattanville softball team on Saturday, as the Valiants dropped a pair of games to the University of Rochester and Westfield State University at the National Training Center. The squad dropped a 9-1 decision to the Yellow Jackets to start the day and the year, and then faltered late in a 9-4 loss to the Owls to conclude the evening.

The Manhattanville offense could not get going in the season-opener against Rochester, as the Valiants managed just one hit in seven innings in a 9-1 loss to the Yellow Jackets. Rochester's Maddie Skellie completely shut down Manhattanville at the plate, as she did not allow a base hit and struck out nine in five innings of work to earn the win.

The second game was frustrating in a very different way, as Manhattanville took a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the sixth inning only to cede a seven-run rally by Westfield State that turned the tables and sent the Valiants to a 9-4 defeat.

The Valiants took a 3-0 lead after two and a half frames, scoring once in the second and twice more in the third. Junior Alyssa Taylor (Craik, Sask./Craik) gave Manhattanville the early lead, reaching on a fielding error and coming around to score on a sacrifice fly off the bat of senior Kim Angiolillo (White Plains, N.Y./Good Counsel Academy). Junior Jess Van Galen doubled the lead with a two-out homer in the third inning, and then back-to-back singles by senior Ashley Dell (Huntington Station, N.Y./Huntington) and Taylor were followed by a fielding error that allowed Dell to come all the way around and give the squad a three-run edge.

Westfield State got two runs back off of Taylor in the bottom of the third inning, but the Valiants regained a two-run edge with another run in the top of the fifth. Van Galen started the rally with a one-out single and moved to second on a Taylor base hit. After freshman Cori-Bianca Embler (Beacon, N.Y./Beacon) pinch ran for the first baseman, junior Katie Pitcher (Cold Spring, N.Y./Valley Central) knocked Embler home with a single to center field.

The Valiants looked to be in good shape with that two-run advantage, but the team could not close things out in the bottom of the sixth, allowing seven runs on five hits and four Manhattanville errors to fall behind for the first time. Westfield's Courtney Begin had the big hit, a two-run triple that gave her squad a 5-4 lead, and the Owls tacked on four more unearned runs with two outs to secure the win.

Taylor (0-1) suffered the loss for Manhattanville, allowing nine runs (just three earned) on 11 hits in six innings of work. The junior also struck out five while walking one. Kerry Alcott (1-0) earned the win for Westfield State, allowing four runs (two earned) on eight hits in seven innings.

Taylor had a good day at the plate, going 2 for 4 with a run scored. Van Galen tied for the game high with three hits in four at-bats, scoring once and driving in one as well. The homer, already the 16th of her career, moved her into sole possession of third place on the school's all-time list.

Manhattanville (0-2) will look to turn things around beginning tomorrow, as the Valiants take on Washington University of St. Louis and Macalester at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., respectively.