Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 CLERMONT, Fla. – Sophomore Kristen Rodopoulos (Scarsdale, N.Y./The Ursuline School) tossed the second shutout of her career to lead the Manhattanville softball team past Lesley, 1-0, in the first of two games on Sunday afternoon at the National Training Center. The Valiants were unable to complete the sweep, however, falling to Stevenson by a 3-1 score in game two.
 
The first game of the day was a beauty of a pitchers' duel between Rodopoulos and Lesley's Jennifer Dorval, as the Valiants were able to scratch across a single run and Rodopoulos made it stand up in a 1-0 victory.
 
After not getting a lot of run support in her first two starts of the year, Rodopoulos (1-2) took matters into her own hands on Sunday against the Lynx. The senior allowed only three hits and struck out eight batters in the complete-game shutout, the second of her career.
 
Meanwhile, Manhattanville had trouble solving Dorval (0-1) at the plate, and yet did just enough to start the day with the win. The lone run of the game came in the sixth inning, when the Valiants mounted a two-out rally to finally get on the scoreboard. After a leadoff single by sophomore Alyssa Casino (Rye Brook, N.Y./Maria Regina) was erased by a double play, senior Jessica Van Galen (Bedford Hills, N.Y./Fox Lane) singled to keep the inning alive and sophomore Laura Montalto (Bronx, N.Y./Preston) followed with a double that brought Van Galen all the way around to score.
 
Lesley's best chance came back in the third inning, when the Lynx loaded the bases with two outs. But Rodopoulos induced Angela Mukai to ground out to shortstop to end the threat. That was the only trouble the sophomore encountered all game long, as she retired Lesley in order in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings while working around a one-out walk to close out the game in the seventh.
 
Van Galen was the only player on either side to record more than one hit, as the senior went 2 for 3 with the all-important run scored.
 
The Valiants again managed only one run in the second game of the day against Stevenson, but this time it was not enough as Manhattanville settled for a third straight split with a 3-1 loss to the Mustangs.
 
Manhattanville again got the first run of the game against the Mustangs, as Van Galen singled to start off the second inning and came home on a two-out single off the bat of classmate Kim Angiolillo (White Plains, N.Y./Good Counsel Academy). However, the Valiants managed just three hits the rest of the way off Stevenson starter Briana Pichalski.
 
The Mustangs, meanwhile, got all the runs they needed in the third inning, when they touched up senior Katie Pitcher (Cold Spring, N.Y./Valley Central) for three runs. A single by Kristen Mueller scored two runs after the first two batters of the frame reached base, and Kristen Fassler followed with an RBI single of her own to make it a 3-1 score.
 
Pichalski (1-0) earned the win for Stevenson, allowing just one run on five hits in seven innings. Pitcher (1-1) took the loss despite holding the Mustangs to three runs on nine hits in a complete-game effort.
 
Van Galen continued her torrid start to the season at the plate, going 3 for 3 and scoring the team's only run. Angiolillo and sophomore Rosaria Callara (Scarsdale, N.Y./Scarsdale) had the Valiants' other hits on the day.

After taking a day off on Monday, Manhattanville will return to the NTC on Tuesday with a pair of games against The College of New Jersey (11 a.m.) and St. Scholastica (3 p.m.).