PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The Manhattanville College softball team had its seventh-inning rally come up just short as the third-seeded Valiants fell to top-seeded and NFCA #8 Saint John Fisher College by a 2-1 score in the Rochester, New York Regional final of the NCAA Div. III Softball Championships, held at the SJFC Softball Field on Sunday afternoon.
 
St. John Fisher College (39-6) advances to the NCAA Super Regionals with the win, while Manhattanville (32-15) has its excellent season come to a close with the defeat.
 
After the game, Manhattanville had four players honored with spots on the All-Tournament Team: seniors Brittany Deieso (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster) and Alicia Marino (Mahopac, N.Y./Pleasantville), junior Alycia Feeney (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster) and sophomore Sophia Chapelone (Carlsbad, Calif./La Costa Canyon).
 
Manhattanville battled hard against Regional Most Valuable Player Lindsey Thayer (26-5), scoring once and putting the tying run on base in the seventh inning, but ultimately came up just short. Thayer struck out 15 and scattered three hits in the win.
 
Feeney (19-7) did all she could to keep the Valiants in the game, allowing only five hits and two runs to one of the top hitting teams in the country.
 
For the second straight game between the teams, St. John Fisher played as the road team and got on the scoreboard in the top of the first inning. After a single by Katie Mazierski and an infield grounder, Sarah Kubik lined a single up the middle for the game's first run. Feeney limited the damage by snagging a line drive and tossing to first for an inning-ending double play.
 
Manhattanville put runners in scoring position in each of the first two innings but could not get a hit at the right time to tie the score. Feeney settled into a groove in the circle as well, retiring Fisher in order in the second and third innings and keeping the Cardinals off the scoreboard for the next five innings.
 
A leadoff walk resulted in a crucial insurance run in the top of the seventh for Fisher, as Julia Sortisio laced a ball to shortstop that took a bad hop and allowed a run to cross the plate.
 
Manhattanville attempted to rally with three outs left, as sophomore Desiree Buboi (Villa Park, Calif./Orange Lutheran) hit a ball deep into the right-center field gap to lead off the inning. Down to the last out, sophomore Aarin Hartenstein (Massapequa, N.Y./Plainedge) flared a single to left field that scored freshman pinch-runner Steph Muller (Port Jervis, N.Y./Port Jervis), but the Valiants could not get another run across after that.
 
The loss brings an end to the careers of Manhattanville's five graduating seniors: Deieso, Marino, Laurel Coito (San Diego, Calif./Cathedral Catholic), Shelbee Damianos (Ojai, Calif./Nordhoff) and Adrena Daw (Crompond, N.Y./Walter Panas). The five seniors leave as the winningest class in program history, achieving a record of 115-50 (.696) with three MAC Freedom Tournament titles, one NCAA Regional championship and three regional final appearances in four years.