Box Score PURCHASE, N.Y. – Freshman Laura Montalto (Bronx, N.Y./Preston) hit two homers, including a three-run walkoff in the bottom of the eighth inning, and junior Alyssa Taylor (Craik, Sask./Craik) pitched eight remarkable innings to stave off elimination as top-seeded Manhattanville got past third-seeded King's, 8-5 (8 inn.), in game four of the 2012 Freedom Conference Softball Championships on Saturday morning at Manhattanville Field.
 
With the win, Manhattanville (19-16) remains alive in the tournament and will return to action later today with another elimination contest against fourth-seeded Eastern. King's (29-13) has its season come to a close with the loss.
 
Montalto had a huge game for Manhattanville in the win, going 3 for 5 while hitting two home runs – including the game-winning walk off – and driving in four runs. Senior Ashley Dell (Huntington Station, N.Y./Huntington) also hit well, going 3 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored, while junior Katie Pitcher (Cold Spring, N.Y./Valley Central) also hit a huge three-run homer late to tie the score.
 
The unlikely win went to Taylor (7-6), who bounced back from a potential season-ending injury suffered just last week to toss eight complete innings. She allowed five runs (three earned) on 10 hits to earn her seventh win of the year.
 
For King's Erin Beane had a team-leading three hits while scoring once and driving in one, while Amanda Cardone and Brittny Baynes also had a run scored and an RBI each.
 
The Manhattanville offense struggled for most of the day, but came alive for three runs in the sixth and three more in the eighth to pull off the comeback victory.
 
Down by three entering the bottom of the sixth, freshman Kristen Rodopoulos (Scarsdale, N.Y./The Ursuline School) had a one-out single and classmate Arianna Martignetti (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle) barely beat out an infield grounder to shortstop, which kept the inning alive for Pitcher. After fouling off the first pitch, Pitcher launched an Annie Erndl offering to left field for the game-tying three-run homer.
 
Both teams had chances in the seventh but did not score, and King's had another great chance in the eighth on a leadoff double on Tina Seber, but Taylor got out of the inning unscathed to keep the game tied.
 
In the eighth, Erndl looked to be fine after getting the first two batters of the frame. But Dell kept the inning alive with a single and junior Jessica Van Galen (Bedford Hills, N.Y./Fox Lane) reached base when her rocket to center caromed off the glove of Beane. Playing with a second life, Montalto took the first pitch she saw from Erndl deep to straight away center to give the Valiants the win.
 
Erndl (9-6) suffered the loss in relief for King's, allowing six runs (three earned) on eight hits in three innings. Karissa Kross started for the Lady Monarchs, allowing two runs on two hits over 4.2 frames.
 
The two teams traded runs over the first two innings, with Manhattanville's run coming on a solo shot by Montalto to lead off the second. In the third, King's struck for three runs with a two-out rally, getting RBI singles by Cardone and Baynes and taking advantage of a Valiant error.
 
The Valiants got one back on a run-scoring single by Dell, and that is where the score stayed until King's plated another in the top of the sixth on a two-out RBI single from Beane.