WAPPINGERS FALLS, N.Y.- The Manhattanville baseball team opened up a 3-0 lead against Mount St. Mary on Wednesday night, but the Valiants could not hang on, falling to the Knights by a final score of 6-4 in non-conference play at Dutchess Stadium.
 
Freshman William Tempone (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown East) made the start on the mound for Manhattanville (10-10), tossing four innings, allowing four runs on five hits before suffering the loss against Mount St. Mary (7-7). At the plate, sophomore Vincenzo Pepe (Middletown, N.Y./Middletown) connected on two hits while knocking in two RBIs for the Valiants.
 
Pepe got things going for Manhattanville in the second inning, singling through the right side to score senior Bobby Guerra (Bronx, N.Y./Arlington), giving the Valiants a 1-0 lead. Tempone was settled in on the mound through the first three innings, keeping the Knights scoreless. In the following inning, sophomore Robbie Lynch (Bronx, N.Y./Fordham Prep) added the second Manhattanville run to the scoreboard by knocking in junior Jake McGrath (Pound Ridge, N.Y./Fox Lane) on a single up the middle. Pepe went back to work in the fourth inning, picking up his second RBI single by scoring Guerra yet again.
 
The Knights found their answer in the fourth inning, starting with an RBI single from Rob Peccerillo. Tempone gave up one more run in the fourth as Mount St. Mary came within one run, making it 3-2 in favor of the Valiants. The Knights came right back at Manhattanville in the fifth, taking advantage of miscues from the Valiants and eventually controlling a 6-3 lead after five. Both teams were held scoreless for the remainder of the contest until the Valiants tried to make a comeback in the final inning of play, scoring a run before losing by a final score of 6-4.
 
The Valiants will play tomorrow against Eastern Connecticut State at 4 p.m. at Manhattanville Field.  Live stats are available via GoValiants.com.