PITTSFORD, N.Y. – Junior Alycia Feeney (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster) allowed one run on six hits to lead third-seeded Manhattanville College to the finals of the Rochester, New York Regional with a 4-1 win over fourth-seeded Penn State Behrend on day two of the NCAA Div. III Softball Championships, held at the St. John Fisher College Softball Field on Saturday afternoon.
 
With the win, Manhattanville (32-14) advances to the regional championship for the second straight year and the third time in the last four seasons. The Valiants will need to defeat top-seeded and NFCA #8 St. John Fisher College twice tomorrow to claim the regional crown, with game one set for a noon first pitch.
 
Feeney (19-6) had her best outing of the weekend against Penn State Behrend (27-14), allowing only five singles and a triple in seven innings. The junior struck out three and walked only one in the victory.
 
Senior Brittany Deieso (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster) and sophomores Desiree Buboi (Villa Park, Calif./Orange Lutheran) and Sophia Chapelone (Carlsbad, Calif./La Costa Canyon) all had two hits apiece as part of the Valiants' nine-hit attack.
 
The first four innings were a pitchers' duel between Feeney and hurler AJ Nichols (11-5). Feeney worked around two hits and a walk in the first four innings, while Nichols ceded only two hits and struck out five over the same span.
 
Manhattanville finally broke through in the fifth thanks to Deieso. The lefty worked a leadoff walk and promptly stole second to get into scoring position. Then on a fly to center by junior Laurel Coito (San Diego, Calif./Cathedral Catholic), a bad throw went into the Lions' dugout and allowed Deieso to come all the way around to score.
 
Behrend came right back with a run of its own in the bottom half, string together three straight singles after the first two batters were retired. Shannon McDonnell had the final strike, a single up the middle that scored Carson Hauser.
 
But the Valiants responded again in the top of the sixth with a trio of extra-base hits. Buboi started it off with a leadoff double and that was followed another two-bagger from senior Alicia Marino (Mahopac, N.Y./Pleasantville) that scored freshman pinch-runner Steph Muller (Port Jervis, N.Y./Port Jervis) to put Manhattanville back on top. Sophomore Aarin Hartenstein (Massapequa, N.Y./Plainedge) followed soon after by visiting the left-center field gap to plate Marino and make it a 3-1 score.
 
Manhattanville added one more insurance run in the top of the seventh. Chapelone led off with a single up the middle, was moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from classmate Evonne Torres (Hacienda Heights, Calif./Pioneer), and then came home on an opposite-field double by Buboi.