PITTSFORD, N.Y. – Senior Alicia Marino (Mahopac, N.Y./Pleasantville) hit a pair of home runs, including the eventual game-winner in the seventh inning, as third-seeded Manhattanville College defeated second-seeded William Paterson University in game one of the Rochester, New York Regional of the NCAA Div. III Softball Championships, held at the St. John Fisher College Softball Field on Friday afternoon.
 
With the win, Manhattanville (31-13) stays in the winner's bracket and will face off with the winner of today's second game between NFCA #8 St. John Fisher and Penn State Behrend tomorrow at 11 a.m. William Paterson (28-12) falls into the loser's bracket and will face the loser of SJFC and PSU Behrend in an elimination contest tomorrow at 1:30 p.m.
 
Marino had a big day for the Valiants, going 2-for-4 with a pair of homers and three runs batted in. With her 13th and 14th long balls of the year, she tied Alyssa Taylor '14 in 2014 and sophomore Desiree Buboi (Villa Park, Calif./Orange Lutheran) last season for the school single-season record.
 
Sophomore Sophia Chapelone (Carlsbad, Calif./La Costa Canyon) also was huge for Manhattanville, going 2-for-4 with a homer, two RBIs and a run scored, while senior Dolores Diemicke (North Massapequa, N.Y./Plainedge) also had a pair of hits for the visitors.
 
Chapelone set the tone on the very first pitch of the game, as she sent a laser over the fence in left field for her third homer of the year. Following a walk to Buboi, it was Marino's turn to go yard, a two-run shot to right-center that put the visitors up 3-0 after half an inning. The two homers were the first two allowed all year by WPU starter Allison Podmajersky.
 
William Paterson got one back in the bottom of the second after a leadoff triple from Kara Molnar. Molnar struck again with a homer to right field in the fourth, followed by a long ball off the bat of Salina Pellios that tied the score at three after four full frames.
 
After a scoreless fifth, Chapelone delivered again in the top of the sixth inning to put the visitors ahead once more. With two down and senior Brittany Deieso (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster) at second, the sophomore laced a two-strike double off the wall down the left-field line to put Manhattanville up by a 4-3 score.
 
Marino added a huge insurance run by doing some more yard work in the seventh inning, giving her 14 for the season and 30 for her career. That run proved to be vital after Paterson led off the bottom of the seventh with a homer, but junior Alycia Feeney (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster) finished the game off with a strikeout with the tying run on second to keep the Valiants in the winner's bracket.
 
Feeney (18-5) struck out four and allowed six hits in the seven-inning win, while Podmajersky (11-8) gave up 11 hits and struck out two for the Pioneers.