EWING, N.J. – Jess Santelli plated the game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning as top-seeded The College of New Jersey came back to defeated NFCA #19 and second-seeded Manhattanville College, 5-4, in game three of the Ewing, New Jersey, Regional of the 2016 NCAA Division III Softball Championships, hosted by TCNJ at Dr. June Walker Field on Saturday.
 
TCNJ (30-14) advances into the regional championship round, where it will need to win one of two possible games to take home the title beginning tomorrow at noon. Manhattanville (38-3) will face the winner of today's second game between Neumann University and the College of Staten Island in another elimination contest today at 3:00 p.m.
 
With the home team for today's game decided by a coin flip last night, TCNJ used that to their advantage with a run in the bottom of the seventh after Manhattanville had tied it up in the top half. A leadoff error started the rally for the Lions, as sophomore Alycia Feeney (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster) got the next two outs but gave up a deep shot off the wall from Santelli, with Steph Vuono coming all the way around to score.
 
After leading for the first five innings, Manhattanville suddenly found itself down with three outs left after TCNJ struck for three runs in the bottom of the sixth. Gaby Bennett tied the game with an RBI double to left center, and then Jess McGuire delivered a two-out single that barely eluded the dive of freshman Sophia Chapelone (Carlsbad, Calif./La Costa Canyon) to score Bennett and put TCNJ ahead.
 
Down to their last three outs, Chapelone started a rally with a leadoff walk. She moved two bases on a wild pitch and an error, and then came home on a clutch base hit off the bat of junior Alicia Marino (Mahopac, N.Y./Pleasantville) to tie the game.
 
Manhattanville started off with two runs in the top of the second to grab an early lead. Freshman Evonne Torres (Hacienda Heights, Calif./Pioneer) started off the rally with a one-out single and eventually came home on an infield grounder from junior Brittany Deieso (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster). Another grounder from Chapelone resulted in another run when Deieso beat the throw to second base to score junior Dolores Diemicke (North Massapequa, N.Y./Plainedge).
 
TCNJ came back with one unearned run in the bottom half on an RBI single from Bennett, but Feeney got a strikeout and a groundout to strand a pair and keep the Valiants ahead. After a pair of scoreless innings, Manhattanville got that run back in the top of the fifth thanks to a Chapelone walk, a sacrifice bunt from sophomore Laurel Coito (San Diego, Calif./Cathedral Catholic) and an RBI single from freshman Desiree Buboi (Villa Park, Calif./Orange Lutheran).
 
Manhattanville finished the game with only three hits, its lowest offensive output of the season. Feeney (22-3) suffered the loss, allowing five runs (three earned) on seven hits in 6.2 innings.