PURCHASE, N.Y.- The Manhattanville baseball team was unable to take down Mount St. Mary on Thursday afternoon, falling to the Knights by a final score of 9-7 in non-conference play.
 
Manhattanville (8-8) struggled to tame Mount St. Mary (6-7) at the plate, allowing nine runs on 14 hits. Offensively, sophomore Joe Anselmi (North Rockland, N.Y./North Rockland) registered two hits and three RBIs in the losing effort. Junior Jordanis Nunez (Bronx, N.Y./St. Raymond) tallied three hits, three runs and an RBI for the Valiants.
 
Freshman Pat Badia (Somers, N.Y./Somers) made the start on the mound for the Valiants, tossing two innings, allowing three runs on four hits before picking up the no decision. Classmate Antonio Ogando (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Kennedy Catholic) suffered the loss after giving up four runs to the Knights in 1 2/3 innings of work. After the Knights took a 9-6 lead in the sixth inning, the Valiants were unable to answer offensively.
 
Mount St. Mary took an early lead in the first inning after an RBI double from Blake Keenan. Manhattanville eventually answered in the bottom half of the first after a two-run double from Anselmi, giving the Valiants a 2-1 lead. The Knights came right back in the second inning, scoring two runs on a two-run single from Kris Fragomeni, putting Mount St. Mary up 3-2. Sophomore John Delahanty (Mahopac, N.Y./Mahopac) notched it up at three in the third inning after smoking an RBI double to left center.
 
Both teams continued to go back and forth on the scoreboard as the Knights retook their lead in the fourth, tallying two runs to take a 5-3 lead. No lead was safe as the Valiants had an answer in the fifth inning, scoring three runs to put them up 6-5. Nunez got things going with an RBI double down the left field line, bringing home freshman Danny Gallagher (Nanuet, N.Y./Paramus Catholic). Sophomore Robbie Lynch (Bronx, N.Y./Fordham Prep) followed Nunez with an RBI single up the middle, tying the game at five. After the single from Lynch, senior Kevin Brady (Bronx, N.Y./Fordham Prep) eventually gave the Valiants back their lead with an RBI double to right field, making it 6-5.
 
With a one-run lead headed into the sixth inning, the Knights put together a big inning, tallying four runs to retake their lead, making it 9-6. The Valiants struggled to find an answer against Knights' pitcher Sean Betterly until the final inning. Betterly pitched four innings, allowing one run on four hits before closing the door, picking up the save in a 9-7 win over Manhattanville.
 
The Valiants will travel tomorrow to take on FDU-Florham at 3:30 p.m. in Freedom Conference play.