Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – The Manhattanville staged a huge comeback in game two of Saturday's Freedom Conference doubleheader with DeSales, scoring nine times in the final two innings to pull out a 9-7 victory and earn a big split of the final Freedom doubleheader of the season at the DSU Softball Field. The Valiants fell in the first game of the day, 3-1.
 
With the split, Manhattanville (17-14, 10-4 Freedom) finished the regular season in a three-way tie for first place in the conference with Misericordia and King's (Pa.), but the Valiants clinched the top seed in next weekend's conference tournament due to their 3-1 combined record against the other two squads. Misericordia (second seed), King's (third seed) and Eastern (fourth seed) round out the field for the postseason tournament, which will take place at Manhattanville Field on Friday and Saturday.
 
Game two was the big game of the day for the Valiants, as the visitors scored four times in the sixth inning and five more in the seventh to escape with a 9-7 victory.
 
DeSales got to junior Katie Pitcher (Cold Spring, N.Y./Valley Central) for five runs over the first four innings of play, with Julie Brugger driving in four runs by herself with an RBI single in the first inning and a three-run homer in the second. Meanwhile, Katie Morrissey was cruising through the Valiant lineup over the first five innings, allowing just three singles.
 
But the Valiant bats came alive in the sixth, scoring four times to get back into the game. Senior Ashley Dell (Huntington Station, N.Y./Huntington) led off the frame with a homer, while freshman Kristen Rodopoulos (Scarsdale, N.Y./The Ursuline School) delivered a bases-loaded double to drive in two runs and classmate Danielle DeAndrea (Mamaroneck, N.Y./Mamaroneck) followed with an RBI groundout.
 
After DeSales scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth, Manhattanville continued to hit in its final at-bat, scoring five times to take its first and only lead of the day. Dell and junior Jessica Van Galen (Bedford Hills, N.Y./Fox Lane) got the rally started with back-to-back one-out singles, and Montalto followed with the big blast, a game-tying three-run homer on the first pitch she saw from Brittany Wilson.
 
But the Valiants weren't done, scoring twice more with two outs to take the lead. Junior Kim Angiolillo (White Plains, N.Y./Good Counsel Academy) and Rodopoulos singled to keep the inning alive, and DeAndrea plated both runners with a single to center.
 
Rodopoulos (5-6) earned the win in relief for Manhattanville, allowing two runs on five hits over the final three frames. Pitcher allowed five runs on six hits over the first four frames, but was bailed out by her offense late to take the no decision. The comeback also deprived Morrissey of a win despite allowing four runs in 5.1 frames; taking the loss was Wilson (2-3), who allowed five runs in just 1.1 innings of work.
 
The offense was not there for Manhattanville in the first game of the day, however, as the Valiants managed just one run on eight hits in a 3-1 loss.
 
DeSales opened the scoring in the bottom of the second on an RBI single by Carly Bartholomew, but the Valiants got that back in the top of the third when junior Lynsey Schill (Waterloo, Ont./St. David Catholic) capitalized on a pair of errors to come home after reaching base via a single.
 
Junior Alyssa Taylor (Craik, Sask./Craik) and DeSales' Rachel Vogel then put up zeroes until the fifth inning, when the Bulldogs touched Taylor for the deciding two runs. Brugger again was in the middle of things, driving home one run with a double and scoring the other run on a single by Wilson.
 
Manhattanville had a rally going in the top of the sixth after Van Galen and Montalto singled to start the frame, but Taylor lined into a double play and freshman pinch-runner Jess Magnotta (West Harrison, N.Y./Harrison) was thrown out at the plate later in the inning to prevent the visitors from scoring.
 
Vogel (6-5) earned the win for DeSales, allowing just the one run on eight hits in seven innings. Taylor (6-6) pitched well despite taking the loss, allowing all three runs on 11 hits in six innings of work.
 
Manhattanville (17-14, 10-4 Freedom) will close out the regular season on Tuesday afternoon, as the Valiants host Baruch in a makeup of last week's postponed doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m. at Manhattanville Field.