BRONX, N.Y. - The Manhattanville College softball team saw a late-game rally fall short in game two as the Valiants had to settle for a non-conference split with New York University on Tuesday night at Bahosky Field. The visitors took game one, 7-0, before dropping a 10-9 slugfest in the nightcap.
 
Sophomore Sophia Chapelone (Carlsbad, Calif./La Costa Canyon) was the top hitter on the night for Manhattanville (15-9), going 6-for-9 at the plate with two doubles, two runs batted in and three runs scored. Senior Dolores Diemicke (North Massapequa, N.Y./Plainedge) drove in a team-leading three runs as part of a 4-for-8 night as well for the visitors.
 
Game 1: Manhattanville 7, NYU 0
                                                                                     
Manhattanville dominated both at the plate and in the circle in the first game of the day, pounding out 13 hits and limiting NYU to just three in the 7-0 win. Chapelone led the offense with a 4-for-5 showing to go with two RBIs and two runs scored, while junior Alycia Feeney (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster) tossed a three-hit shutout.
 
Chapelone started strong for Manhattanville, leading off the game with a double on the second pitch and coming home along with senior Brittany Deieso (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster) on a grounder by senior Alicia Marino (Mahopac, N.Y./Pleasantville) later in the frame.
 
The Valiants added some insurance late in the game, scoring three runs in the sixth and two more in the seventh. Two runs came across in the sixth after a Deieso bunt was thrown away by the NYU third baseman and another scored on a RBI groundout from sophomore Desiree Buboi (Villa Park, Calif./Orange Lutheran). Chapelone then capped the scoring with a two-run double with two outs in the seventh.
 
Feeney escaped her first jam of the night in the third inning, getting back-to-back foul outs with two runners in scoring position to keep the Violets off the board. She allowed only three baserunners outside of that third inning on the way to her 16th career shutout, striking out three Violets.
 
Game 2: NYU 10, Manhattanville 9
 
The bats stayed hot but the pitching did not for Manhattanville in the second game of the day, as the Violets scored three runs in three of the first four innings and then held on in the final frames for a 10-9 win.
 
Manhattanville again grabbed an early lead in game two thanks to a Buboi RBI double, but NYU came back with three runs in the bottom half, with Claire Stefanelli and Molly Webber both delivering RBI singles to put their team ahead.
 
The tandem both drove in runs as part of a three-run second inning as well with a bases-loaded walk and single, respectively. Diemicke got two of those runs back in the third with a single up the middle, but NYU again came back with three more thanks to a two-out rally in the fourth to open up a 9-3 lead.
 
Manhattanville started a comeback attempt with four runs in the fifth inning, beginning with another Diemicke RBI single followed by back-to-back wild pitches and an RBI groundout from sophomore Aarin Hartenstein (Massapequa, N.Y./Plainedge). The Violets got one more insurance run in the bottom of the sixth, and that proved to be vital as the Valiants scored two in the top of the seventh on RBIs from freshman Sam Jedrey (La Canada Flintridge, Calif./La Canada) and sophomore Tori Dixon (Hopewell Junction, N.Y./John Jay). The visitors had the tying run at third base later in the inning before NYU's Olivia Mould got the final out to secure the split.
 
Freshman Melissa Hess (Philadelphia, Pa./Saint Hubert Catholic) got the start for Manhattanville and suffered the loss, allowing six runs on five hits in 1.2 innings. Hartenstein allowed four runs on seven hits over the final 4.1 frames. Kat Piorkowski picked up the win for NYU, allowing three runs on five hits over the first four innings.
 
Manhattanville will get back into MAC Freedom play on Friday with a doubleheader at FDU-Florham beginning at 2 p.m.