PURCHASE, N.Y – The Manhattanville College softball team sent its seniors off with a victory on Saturday afternoon at Manhattanville Field, as the Valiants posted a 13-5 win in game two to earn a split with Misericordia University in Freedom Conference action on Senior Day.
Appropriately enough, grad student
Shauna Mulkerin (Branchburg, N.J./Immaculata) paced Manhattanville (13-18, 4-10 Freedom) at the plate on Senior Day, going 4 for 5 with two runs scored. Eight different Valiants scored runs and six players had at least two runs batted in over the course of the day.
It was all Misericordia in the first game of the day, as the Cougars scored 12 runs in the final two innings of a 14-2 win. Whitney Ellenberg had a big game for the visitors, going 2 for 3 with two homers, five RBIs and three runs scored, while Megan Hardy had three hits and drove in three as well.
Both teams had chances to score over the first two innings but could not plate a runner, before Ellenberg led off the third with a solo homer. Misericordia (24-12, 10-4 Freedom) opened the game up with five runs in the third inning, helped by a three-run homer off the bat of Ellenberg and a Hardy two-run homer, and then added seven more in the fifth inning.
Alissa Steier (12-8) earned the win for Misericordia, scattering two hits and striking out six in four scoreless innings. Sophomore
Shelbee Damianos (Ojai, Calif./Nordhoff) got the Valiants on the board in the fifth inning with a two-run double off of Jordan Hoffman.
Game two was a different story, however, as Manhattanville pounded out 17 hits in five innings to post their own run-rule victory, 13-5 in five innings.
Sophomore
Adrena Daw (Crompond, N.Y./Walter Panas) went 3 for 4 with two RBIs and two runs scored from the cleanup spot, while freshman
Alexis Ventarola (Eastchester, N.Y./Eastchester) homered, drove in two and scored three times from the top of the order. Seniors
Alyssa Casino (Rye Brook, N.Y./Maria Regina) and
Rosaria Callara (Scarsdale, N.Y./Scarsdale) each drove in two in their final home game, while sophomore
Melissa Iarocci (White Plains, N.Y./White Plains) had a career-high three RBIs as well.
After Misericordia scored two runs in the top of the first, Manhattanville came back with three in the bottom half to take the lead. The seniors did all the damage for the Valiants in the frame, as Casino drove home one run and Callara followed with a two-run single to put her team ahead.
The Cougars tied the game in the top of the second, but three more Valiant runs crossed the plate thanks to three Misericordia errors in the bottom half. The only RBI of the inning came from Iarocci, who drew a bases-loaded walk to bring home the third run.
Manhattanville put up a three-spot for a third straight inning in the third, getting a two-run homer from Ventarola and an RBI double by Daw to put the home team up 9-3 after three.
The Valiants responded to two Misericordia runs in the top of the fifth with four of their own in the bottom half to end the game early. Daw doubled home a run to start the rally and Casino followed with an RBI single to put the winning runs on base. Iarocci then roped a double to left field, easily scoring Daw with one run and allowing junior pinch-runner
Alyx Scapperotti (Harrison, N.Y./Harrison) to come all the way around and score the game-winner with a great slide on a close play at the plate.
Callara (5-9) picked up the win in her final home game, allowing four earned runs on seven hits in five innings of work. Bailee Schies (2-1) suffered the loss, ceding eight runs on eight hits in 2.1 innings before Steier came on to allow the final five runs on nine hits.
Manhattanville will close out the 2015 season tomorrow, when the Valiants travel to Western Connecticut State University for a noon non-conference doubleheader with the Colonials.
