PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The record-setting run for the #19 Manhattanville College softball team came to end on Saturday afternoon, as the Valiants fell to Saint John Fisher College, 9-2, at the Rochester, New York, Super Regional of the NCAA Div. III Softball Championships, held this weekend at the SJFC Softball Complex.
With the win, St. John Fisher (38-10) advances to the Div. III College World Series, which will take place May 26-31 in Salem, Va. Manhattanville (41-5) has its outstanding season come to a close with the defeat.
Cardinals hurler Lindsey Thayer (28-5) was named Most Outstanding Pitcher of the Super Regional after a second straight strong outing, striking out 12 and ceding only one hit and two unearned runs in a complete-game win. Fisher's Julia Sortisio was named Most Outstanding Player of the Super Regional, going 3 for 5 with two RBIs and two runs today after two hits and two runs scored yesterday.
As they did yesterday, the Cardinals jumped on the Valiants early in the top of the first, scoring twice to take control. Sortisio led off by singling on the first pitch and Katie Mazierski reached on a fielder's choice, and both runners came home on a triple by Jennifer Knaak.
The Cardinals blew the game open with five runs in the top of the fifth inning. Knaak struck again with an RBI double that scored two runs, and that was followed by a two-run double from Sarah Kubik and a run-scoring single from Kristina Balsano.
Manhattanville got on the scoreboard in the fifth inning with a pair of runs. Freshman
Aarin Hartenstein (Massapequa, N.Y./Plainedge) reached on a wild pitch and moved to second on the team's first hit of the game, a bunt single from freshman
Evonne Torres (Hacienda Heights, Calif./Pioneer). Both runners came home when an infield chopper from senior
Alyx Scapperotti (Harrison, N.Y./Harrison) was thrown away by the shortstop.
Sophomore
Alycia Feeney (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster) suffered the loss for Manhattanville, allowing seven runs (four earned) on eight hits in 4.1 innings. Freshman
Julianna Orrico (Bronx, N.Y./Preston) made her Super Regional debut in relief, allowing five hits and two runs over the final 2.2 innings.
Manhattanville finishes the most successful season in school history with a department-record 41 victories, the first national ranking and Super Regionals appearance in school history, and new program records in almost every offensive category. The team's 21.5-game turnaround from last season also is tied for the second-largest single-season improvement in D-III softball history.
The Valiants are slated to return all but one player next season, as Manhattanville looks to take the next step and remain a force on the regional and national levels.
