Box Score EDWARDSVILLE, Pa. – The Manhattanville offense struggled in its second game of the day against DeSales, as the third-seeded Valiant softball team dropped a 3-2 decision to the top-seeded Bulldogs in game three of the 2013 Freedom Conference Tournament, held on Friday afternoon at Wilkes' Ralston Athletic Complex.
 
DeSales (26-10-1) advances to the championship round with the victory, while Manhattanville (22-17) will need three wins tomorrow to take home the conference title. The Valiants will play the winner of tomorrow's first game between King's (Pa.) and FDU-Florham immediately afterwards at approximately 11 a.m.
 
The Valiants managed only three hits against DeSales ace DJ McCauley, who was making her second start of the day. Senior Jessica Van Galen (Bedford Hills, N.Y./Fox Lane), sophomore Rosaria Callara (Scarsdale, N.Y./Scarsdale) and freshman Alyx Scapperotti (Harrison, N.Y./Harrison) had the lone hits of the day for Manhattanville, while the Bulldogs managed three runs on nine hits off senior Katie Pitcher (Cold Spring, N.Y./Valley Central) to hang on for the win.
 
The Bulldogs scored three times in the first three innings to open up an early lead. Michelle Gessner, who went 3 for 3 on the day, drove home two runs with a single in the second inning, and the top seed added another in the third on an RBI single by Sam Gibson.
 
Meanwhile, McCauley held Manhattanville without a baserunner for the first five innings, but the Valiants managed to crack the code somewhat in the sixth. Scapperotti finally broke up DJ McCauley's perfect game leading off the sixth, as she beat out an ball that was tapped about five feet past home plate. Junior Kirsten Savage (Harrington Park, N.J./Old Tappan) then hit a comebacker to McCauley, but the pitcher threw the ball past her infielders all the way to the outfield fence allowing Scapperotti to score. Sophomore Rosaria Callara (Scarsdale, N.Y./Scarsdale) followed with an RBI single to get the Valiants back within one.
 
However, the Valiants could not get the game-tying hit in either the sixth or seventh innings, stranding the potential game-tying run at second in both of the final two frames.
 
Pitcher (3-5) suffered the loss, allowing all three runs on nine hits in 3.1 innings, while sophomore Kristen Rodopoulos (Scarsdale, N.Y./The Ursuline School) was again nearly perfect coming on in relief, tossing 2.2 hitless frames to keep the squad close.