WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – Junior Aarin Hartenstein (Massapequa, N.Y./Plainedge) allowed two hits in the circle and had three hits at the plate to lead the top-seeded Manhattanville College softball team past third-seeded Misericordia University, 8-1, in game three of the 2018 MAC Freedom Softball Championships, hosted by King's (Pa.) College at Robert L. Betzler Athletic Complex on Friday afternoon.
 
With the win, Manhattanville (23-13) advances to the championship round of the MAC Freedom Tournament, and will need to win just one of two possible games tomorrow to capture its third straight MAC Freedom title. Misericordia (23-17) falls into the loser's bracket and will face the winner of today's first elimination contest between DeSales University and King's tomorrow morning.
 
Hartenstein had a big game for Manhattanville, allowing no hits after the first inning and striking out three in five innings, while also going 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored at the plate. Graduate student Dolores Diemicke (North Massapequa, N.Y./Plainedge) also had a multi-hit game, going 2-for-3 and scoring twice.
 
Misericordia opened the scoring with a two-out rally in the top of the first, but the Valiants responded with three of their own while two were down in the bottom half. Junior Desiree Buboi (Villa Park, Calif./Orange Lutheran) and Diemicke kept the inning alive with singles, and junior Evonne Torres (Hacienda Heights, Calif./Pioneer) brought them both home by lacing a ball off the top of the leftfielder's glove and to the fence. Hartenstein then helped her own cause by bringing home Torres with an RBI single to put the Valiants up 3-1 after one.
 
The Valiants staged another two-out rally in the second, when freshman Isela Casillas (Chula Vista, Calif./Eastlake) doubled with two down and came home on a hard-hit grounder by senior Alexis Ventarola (Eastchester, N.Y./Eastchester) that got through the second baseman.
 
Manhattanville plated three more in the bottom of the third, with sophomore Sam Jedrey (La Canada Flintridge, Calif./La Canada) and senior Alexis Ventarola (Eastchester, N.Y./Eastchester) both recording RBI singles during the frame. After a scoreless fourth, the Valiants ended the game early thanks to an RBI triple from freshman Brooke Franson (Newport Beach, Calif./Corona del Mar) and a sacrifice fly by classmate Jordyn Boyd (Woodinville, Wash./Woodinville).
 
Manhattanville will face the team to emerge from the loser's bracket tomorrow, with game one of the championship series set for 1:00 p.m.