Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 PURCHASE, N.Y. – The Manhattanville softball team received two more sterling pitching performances on the way to a second straight Freedom Conference sweep on Saturday afternoon, as sophomore Kristen Rodopoulos (Scarsdale, N.Y./The Ursuline School) and senior Alyssa Taylor (Craik, Sask./Craik) combined to allow just one run in dealing defending conference champion Misericordia a pair of defeats, 2-1 and 3-0, at a blustery Manhattanville Field.
 
One day after not allowing an earned run in two wins over Eastern, the Valiants may have been better on Saturday against the reigning conference champions, allowing only one run total on just 10 hits. Rodopoulos and Taylor also combined for 12 strikeouts and allowed only four Cougars to reach third base all day long.
 
At the plate, senior Jessica Van Galen (Bedford Hills, N.Y./Fox Lane) led Manhattanville (7-7, 4-0 Freedom) with four hits in seven at-bats, while junior Shauna Mulkerin (Branchburg, N.J./Immaculata) had a team-leading three runs batted in in only two official at-bats. Sophomore Rosaria Callara (Scarsdale, N.Y./Scarsdale) also continued to provide support at the top of the lineup, going 3 for 7 with a run scored. Kristi Seiler had a team-best four hits in six at-bats and the only RBI of the day for Misericordia (3-9, 0-2 Freedom) in a losing effort.
 
In the first game of the day, Rodopoulos stayed on her recent roll after earning two wins yesterday, allowing only one run while receiving some timely hitting from her offense in a 2-1 win.
 
The Valiants set the tone early in their first home game of the year, scoring once in each of the first two frames to grab an early lead. Callara led off the first with an infield single, and Van Galen provided a clutch two-out base hit to plate her for the game's first run. After Rodopoulos escaped a two-on, one-out jam in the top of the second, Manhattanville registered another run in the bottom half when Mulkerin walked with the bases loaded to bring home senior Kim Angiolillo (White Plains, N.Y./Good Counsel Academy), who led off the inning with a single.
 
The Cougars got one run back in the third inning on a bases loaded single by Seiler, but Rodopoulos escaped further damage in that inning and settled down after that, as she allowed only one runner to reach second base the rest of the way.
 
Rodopoulos (4-4) struck out five allowed only six hits in her third straight win. Manhattanville managed only six hits off Misericordia ace Caitlin Cromley (1-5), but it was enough to pick up the victory.
 
Game two featured more pitching mastery from Manhattanville, as Taylor completely shut down the Cougar lineup to the tune of a 3-0 win.
 
Taylor (2-0) ran her streak of innings without allowing an earned run to 16.0 to start the season with her fourth career shutout, as the senior scattered four hits and struck out seven. She also allowed only one runner to reach third base on the afternoon, completely keeping Misericordia at bay throughout.
 
Jess Armillay (2-4) danced in and out of trouble all game long for Misericordia on the other side, allowing only three runs (two earned) on seven hits, but Manhattanville managed to scrape across one run in the third and two more in the fifth to complete the sweep.
 
After leaving five runners on base over the first two innings, the Valiants finally got one run in the third inning when Angiolillo hit a grounder through the legs of third baseman Whitney Ellenberg to score senior Katie Pitcher (Cold Spring, N.Y./Valley Central), who had walked to lead off the frame. The Valiants threatened again in the fourth without scoring, and yet Mulkerin provided some key insurance with two runs in the fifth. An Angiolillo single and a double from junior Kirsten Savage (Harrington Park, N.J./Old Tappan) put two in scoring position, and the junior shortstop delivered a two-out, two-run double to provide some breathing room.
 
Mulkerin reached base in all three plate appearances in game two, going 1 for 1 with two walks and two RBI. Van Galen had another good game with three hits in four trips to the plate as well.
 
Manhattanville, which is off to its best conference start since joining the Freedom Conference prior to the 2008 season, will step out of conference play on Wednesday for a pair of games at Springfield on Wednesday starting at 3:30 p.m.