PURCHASE, N.Y. – Sophomore Alycia Feeney (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster) and freshman Julianna Orrico (Bronx, N.Y./Preston) both tossed three-hit shutouts as the Manhattanville College softball team, ranked 23rd in the latest NFCA Division III national poll, clinched a postseason berth for the sixth time in the last seven years with 8-0 and 13-0 victories over Wilkes University on a beautiful Saturday afternoon at Manhattanville Field.
 
Combined with Misericordia University's two wins over Delaware Valley University, Manhattanville (25-1, 9-1 MAC Freedom) became the first team to punch its ticket to the MAC Freedom Tournament, which will be held on May 6-7 at Wilkes. The team is two games ahead of Misericordia and FDU-Florham for first place with four games left on the conference ledger.
 
The Valiants spread around the offense on Saturday, with no player recording more than three hits. Freshman Sophia Chapelone (Carlsbad, Calif./La Costa Canyon) had three hits and drove in a team-high five runs, while classmate Desiree Buboi (Villa Park, Calif./Orange Lutheran) drove in three and scored a team-best four runs. Sophomore Laurel Coito (San Diego, Calif./Cathedral Catholic) also homered once in each game, with her first-inning homer in game one also setting a new program record for homers in a season.
 
GAME ONE
 
The Valiant offense was steady in the first game of the day, scoring at least once in every inning on the way to an 8-0 (5 inn.) win.
 
Junior Alicia Marino (Mahopac, N.Y./Pleasantville) was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with a run scored and sophomore Alexis Ventarola (Eastchester, N.Y./Eastchester) also reached base three times on two hits and a walk. Coito and Buboi also homered for the home team in the win.
 
Manhattanville got one run in each of the first three innings, thanks to a Coito solo homer in the first and RBI singles from Chapelone and junior Brittany Deieso (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster) in the second and third frames, respectively.
 
After two unearned runs in the fourth made it a 5-0 lead, the home team ended the game early in the fifth after a Chapelone RBI single and a two-run homer off the bat of Buboi, her seventh long ball of the season.
 
Feeney (14-1) had another efficient outing in the circle for Manhattanville, allowing three hits and striking out three in five innings to earn her sixth shutout of the year.
 
GAME TWO
 
Manhattanville did not wait until the late innings to score its runs in game two, scoring four times in the first and seven more times in the third to break the game open early in a 13-0 (5 inn.) win.
 
Chapelone and Coito led the Valiant attack from the top of the order. Chapelone went 1 for 2 with a homer, three RBIs and two runs scored from the leadoff spot, while Coito also went 1 for 2 with a homer and two runs scored.
 
The home team scored four times on just one hit in the first inning to take an early lead. Buboi doubled home Chapelone after a leadoff walk, followed by a sacrifice fly by junior Alicia Marino (Mahopac, N.Y./Pleasantville) that was dropped by the right fielder. Two more unearned runs came home on an infield groundout by freshman Aarin Hartenstein (Massapequa, N.Y./Plainedge) and a caught stealing that allowed Marino to score.
 
The Valiants then erupted for seven runs in the third to take control. Coito led off with a homer before back-to-back doubles from junior Dolores Diemicke (North Massapequa, N.Y./Plainedge) and Deieso drove home three more runs. Chapelone followed with a three-run homer, her fifth long ball in the last six games, to cap the frame.
 
Manhattanville added two more in the fourth inning, with freshman Tori Dixon (Hopewell Junction, N.Y./John Jay) singling home a pair of runs to complete the Valiant scoring.
 
Orrico (9-0) remained unbeaten on her rookie season with her third shutout of the year, allowing only three hits and striking out five.
 
Manhattanville will play a pair of non-conference twinbills this week, beginning with a Tuesday night doubleheader at Brooklyn College starting at 6 p.m.