CLERMONT, Fla. – Senior Alyssa Casino (Rye Brook, N.Y./Maria Regina) delivered a walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh inning to give head coach Dale Martin his 200th victory as a Valiant, as the Manhattanville College softball team split a pair of games on Wednesday at the National Training Center. The Valiants started the day with a 7-6 win over Emerson College before a 12-1 setback to Moravian College.
 
The first game was a big one for Martin, as he improved to 200-108-1 (.649) all-time in his ninth season with Manhattanville. He is just the third coach in department history to reach 200 career victories, trailing only current baseball coach Jeff Caulfield (217 wins) and former men's hockey coach Keith Levinthal (202 wins). Martin is also one win away from another big milestone, as he ends the day one win short of 300 with a career record of 299-275-1.
 
Casino was the hero for Manhattanville against the Lions, as her single in the bottom of the seventh scored the game-winning run and capped a late-game six-run rally in the Valiants' 7-6 victory.
 
In addition to Casino's two runs batted in, graduate student Shauna Mulkerin (Branchburg, N.J./Immaculata) had two hits and drove in two runs, while junior Alyx Scapperotti (Harrison, N.Y./Harrison) had a pair of hits and scored twice.
 
The outcome looked bleak for the Valiants when they came to bat trailing 6-1 in the bottom of the fifth, but Manhattanville started its rally with three runs in the frame. Scapperotti started the rally by singling, stealing second and coming home on a Mulkerin base hit. Mulkerin also stole a base and came home on an Emerson error, while sophomore Shelbee Damianos (Ojai, Calif./Nordhoff) added an RBI triple to make it a 6-4 game.
 
After freshman Alicia Marino (Mahopac, N.Y./Pleasantville) set the Lions down in order, Manhattanville came right back up and scored twice more to tie the game. Sophomore Adrena Daw (Crompond, N.Y./Walter Panas) started things with a pinch-hit single and was moved to third by another Scapperotti base hit before sophomore Brittany Deieso (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster) lifted a sacrifice fly to right. Mulkerin then came up big again, lacing a two-out single to score Scapperotti and tie the game.
 
The Valiants escaped major damage in the top of the seventh, as a perfect relay from Deieso to Mulkerin to Casino cut down Alexandria Martinez at home plate for the first out of the inning. After Damianos cut down another runner trying to score on a ground out, Marino induced a fly out to get out of the inning unscathed.
 
With momentum on their side, Damianos started the winning rally with a one-out single and then exited for freshman pinch-runner Mackenzie Trainor (Port Jervis, N.Y./Port Jervis). After a single from freshman Alexis Ventarola (Eastchester, N.Y./Eastchester) put her in scoring position, Casino laced a two-out single to score Trainor with the game-winning run.
 
Marino (3-1) earned the win for the Valiants, allowing three earned runs on just five hits in seven innings.
 
There was no late comeback in the second game of the day, as Moravian scored at least twice in each of the last four innings to post a 12-1 victory over Manhattanville.
 
Deieso had the lone multi-hit game for Manhattanville, going 2 for 2 with a run scored. Ventarola also had a hit to extend her career-opening hitting streak to eight games.
 
The Valiants' lone run of the game came in the bottom of the third inning, when Deieso led off with a double and came home on a single from senior Rosaria Callara (Scarsdale, N.Y./Scarsdale) that was mishandled by the left fielder.
 
Freshman Laurel Coito (San Diego, Calif./Cathedral Catholic) suffered the loss, allowing five runs (four earned) in two innings. Marino and Callara combined to pitch the final three innings, allowing seven unearned runs.
 
Manhattanville (3-5) will close out its time at the NTC Spring Games tomorrow, when the Valiants take on Wittenberg at 5 p.m. and Salve Regina at 7 p.m.