Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 PURCHASE, N.Y. – The Manhattanville softball team used some good pitching in game one and some timely hitting in game two to earn its first non-conference sweep of the year, defeating SUNY New Paltz by scores of 2-1 and 7-4 on Wednesday afternoon at a very cold and very windy Manhattanville Field.
 
Senior Jessica Van Galen (Bedford Hills, N.Y./Fox Lane) led the Valiant attack offensively with another great day, reaching base in six of her seven plate appearances by going 3 for 4 with two RBI and three walks. Sophomore Rosaria Callara (Scarsdale, N.Y./Scarsdale) also performed well, going 4 for 7 with two runs scored, while junior Shauna Mulkerin (Branchburg, N.J./Immaculata) also had three hits.
 
But it was sophomore Kristen Rodopoulos (Scarsdale, N.Y./The Ursuline School) who led the Valiants to a win in game one, as she held New Paltz in check offensively while Manhattanville did just enough at the plate in a 2-1 win.
 
Rodopoulos (5-6) was in command almost all game long against the Hawks, scattering nine hits and allowing just one run in the first inning. She struck out two and walked two in the win.
 
Junior Kirsten Savage (Harrington Park, N.J./Old Tappan) was in the middle of things offensively all game for the home team, going 2 for 3 and both scoring a run and driving in a run. Callara went 1 for 3 with a run scored and Van Galen reached base in all three plate appearances with a base hit and two walks.
 
New Paltz started the game off with one run in the first inning, but the damage could have been more. The Hawks had the bases loaded with one out when Chelsea Kull hit a smash to third base that was snagged by sophomore Laura Montalto (Bronx, N.Y./Preston), who threw home for the force out. Meg Brewer followed with an RBI single to make it 1-0, but Rodopoulos escaped further damage and didn't allow another run the rest of the way.
 
Manhattanville came right back in the bottom half of the inning, scoring an unearned run to tie the score. Savage tripled with one out to get into scoring position, and ball four to Van Galen got past the catcher and to the backstop, allowing Savage to just beat the tag at home plate.
 
Rodopoulos and Brewer traded zeroes on the scoreboard until the bottom of the fifth, when the Valiants used another triple to score a run. This time it was Savage driving in the go-ahead score, as she singled to bring home Callara, who had a three-bagger of her own to get in scoring position.
 
Brewer (1-2) allowed only four hits and struck out six in six innings, yet still suffered the loss by allowing both runs.
 
The second game featured more offense from the Valiant side, as Manhattanville pounded out a season-high 14 hits in a 7-4 victory.
 
Callara and Mulkerin provided plenty of support at both ends of the order, as Callara went 3 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored from the leadoff spot while Mulkerin had three hits and drove in two from the bottom of the order. Van Galen went 2 for 3 with a walk and two RBI, and she was also one of seven different Valiants to cross home plate in the win.
 
Manhattanville jumped out to the early lead in game two, scoring three times in the bottom of the first. After Callara and Savage reached base and were sacrificed over by senior Katie Pitcher (Cold Spring, N.Y./Valley Central), Erika Traina decided to pitch to Van Galen with first base open and paid the price, as the senior delivered a two-run single. After a Montalto single moved Van Galen to third, senior Brianna Scapperotti (Harrison, N.Y./Harrison) brought her home with a sacrifice fly to the center-field fence.
 
The Hawks got two runs back in the second thanks to some wildness on the part of junior Alyssa Taylor (Craik, Sask./Craik). Kull and Brewer picked up back-to-back singles to start the inning, and back-to-back wild pitches allowed Kull to come around and score. An RBI slapper to left field by Juliette Verso followed to make it a one-run game.
 
The Valiants got those runs back in the fifth inning, and then added two more in the sixth to provide some more breathing room. Callara beat out an infield single with the bases loaded to plate sophomore Cori-Bianca Embler (Beacon, N.Y./Beacon) as part of a two-run fifth, while Mulkerin drove home a pair in the sixth with a single to center.
 
Taylor (5-0) allowed two more runs in the seventh, but still finished off the Hawks to win her fifth straight decision to start the year. The junior allowed all four runs on eight hits in seven innings, and had to work around some wildness that brought on five walks and five wild pitches.
 
Traina (2-2) allowed five runs (four earned) in 4.1 innings to suffer the loss for New Paltz, while Katie Rutcofsky allowed two runs on five hits over the final 1.2 frames.
 
Manhattanville (11-9), which finishes the day over .500 for the first time this season with the two wins, will look to keep that momentum going on Saturday when the Valiants travel to Wilkes for two key Freedom Conference contests beginning at 1 p.m.