MADISON, N.J.- The Manhattanville softball team opened up Freedom Conference play against FDU-Florham yesterday, falling to the Devils in both ends of a double header, dropping game one 7-3 before losing game two 6-3.
 
Manhattanville (6-7, 0-2 Freedom) struggled to tame FDU-Florham (5-9, 4-2 Freedom) at the plate, allowing 13 total runs on 22 hits. Offensively, the Valiants combined for seven hits, including three hits off the bat of senior Rosaria Callara (Scarsdale, N.Y./Scarsdale).
 
Sophomore Alicia Marino (Mahopac, N.Y./Pleasantville) made the start on the mound for the Valiants in game one, tossing six innings, giving up all seven runs on 10 hits. The Devils jumped out of the gate early, scoring a run in each of the first three innings before Manhattanville could get on the board. After trailing 3-0 after the third inning, Marino gave herself some run support, belting a solo home run to pull the Valiants within two. FDU-Florham added two additional runs in the fourth on a two-run homer from Rebecca DeCarlo, making it 5-1. The Valiants chipped away at their deficit in the fifth, scoring two runs, coming from an RBI double from graduate student Shauna Mulkerin (Branchburg, N.J./Immaculata) followed by freshman Laurel Coito (San Diego, Calif./Cathedral Catholic) reaching base on an error at shortstop, which would score Mulkerin to make it 5-3. Two RBI doubles from the Devils in the sixth opened up their lead to four as the Valiants could not find an answer, dropping game one by a final score of 7-3.
 
Callara started game two for Manhattanville, throwing five innings, allowing five runs on 11 hits. The Valiants were only able to produce two hits off FDU-Florham pitchers Sydney Worek and Brittany Funicelli.
 
The Devils got started early again in game two, scoring four runs in the first inning, including a three-run homer from Wynne McCann. The Valiants saw some life in the second frame as sophomore Brittany Deieso (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster) reached base on an error at second, scoring Adrena Daw (Crompond, N.Y./Walter Panas) to make it 4-1. McCann brought home another run in the second inning on an RBI single, extending the Devils lead to four, 5-1. A two-run homer from Marino in the sixth brought the Valiants within two, but McCann added another insurance run in the sixth, helping the Devils cruise to a 6-3 game two win.
 
The Valiants will travel to Eastern on Wednesday for a Freedom Conference double header starting at 3 p.m. Live stats are available via GoValiants.com.