MADISON, N.J. – The Manhattanville College softball team had a very good Friday at the plate to remain unbeaten in MAC Freedom play, as the Valiants erupted for 25 runs in 8-0 (5 inn.) and 17-4 (6 inn.) victories over FDU-Florham in a conference doubleheader at McManus Field.
 
The offense was clicking all day long for Manhattanville (17-9, 10-0 MAC Freedom), as the Valiants hit .500 (31 for 62) with 12 extra-base hits and 25 runs in 11 innings. A pair of freshmen had big days for the visitors, as Melina Strano (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster) went 4-for-4 with four RBIs and two runs scored just in game two, while Sam Jedrey (La Canada Flintridge, Calif./La Canada) hit a grand slam as part of a career-high seven-RBI day. Senior Dolores Diemicke (North Massapequa, N.Y./Plainedge) went 5-for-7 with three RBIs and four runs scored as well for the Valiants.
 
Game 1: Manhattanville 8, FDU-Florham 0 (5 inn.)
 
Manhattanville cruised to a win in the first game of the day behind yet another shutout from junior Alycia Feeney (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster), who allowed only two hits and struck out six in five innings for her fifth clean sheet of the year. The junior allowed only one runner to reach second base over the course of the game, moving her to 9-4 on the year with her seventh straight win.
 
Manhattanville got on the board quickly in game one, beginning with a leadoff single by sophomore Sophia Chapelone (Carlsbad, Calif./La Costa Canyon). She was sacrificed to second by senior Brittany Deieso (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster) and came home on a two-out single from senior Alicia Marino (Mahopac, N.Y./Pleasantville). Another leadoff hit resulted in another run in the fourth, when Diemicke led off with a double to right center and came home on a single from sophomore Aarin Hartenstein (Massapequa, N.Y./Plainedge). Chapelone followed with an RBI single of her own to put the Valiants up 3-0.
 
The visitors added five more in the fifth to help end the game early. Diemicke plated the first run with an RBI single, while the big blow came with two outs on a bases-clearing double from Jedrey. Chapelone added a run-scoring single of her own to reach the eight-run margin.
 
Game 2: Manhattanville 17, FDU-Florham 4 (6 inn.)
 
The bats remained hot in the second game of the day, as all nine starters had at least one hit and seven different players drove in a run in a 17-4 win. Strano went 4-for-4 with four RBIs and two runs scored and Jedrey added a grand slam, while Marino and sophomore Desiree Buboi (Villa Park, Calif./Orange Lutheran) both had three hits each as well.
 
Manhattanville got two runs in each of the first three innings to take an early lead. Marino started it off with a two-run homer in the first, followed by a Hartenstein solo shot and an RBI single from freshman Steph Muller (Port Jervis, N.Y./Port Jervis) in the second. After FDU-Florham (9-18, 4-6 MAC Freedom) scored twice in the bottom of the second, RBI singles from Diemicke and Strano restored the four-run advantage.
 
Buboi, Diemicke and Strano all plated runs as part of a four-run fourth, and then the offense really erupted with seven more coming home in the sixth. Two swings of the bat resulted in six of those runs, thanks to a two-run single from Strano and a Jedrey grand slam, while sophomore Tori Dixon (Hopewell Junction, N.Y./John Jay) added a bases-loaded walk as well.
 
Hartenstein (5-3) earned the win in the circle, allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits in four innings before Feeney finished things off with two scoreless innings of relief.
 
The Valiants will play eight of their final 12 regular-season games at home, beginning with a non-conference doubleheader against the College of Mount Saint Vincent on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. at Manhattanville Field.