PURCHASE, N.Y. – Making the team's official home debut, the Manhattanville College softball team split a Wednesday afternoon doubleheader with NYU. Following the split decision, the Valiants sit at 6-10 overall on the year.
Game One Recap: Manhattanville 3, NYU 2
In an opening pitching duel,
Charli Shinstine (Encinitas, Calif./San Dieguito Academy) won the arms battle for the Valiants with a gem. The junior threw a complete seven innings, allowing just three hits and two runs (one earned) while striking out nine. Shinstine improved to 4-7 on the year with the victory, lowering her season ERA to 3.90.
The Violets got to Shinstine in the first, plating a run off a pair of walks and a double. But with runners on second and third, Shinstine recorded back-to-back punchouts to escape the jam and limit the damage to just one run.
The Valiant bats picked up their starter in the bottom half, plating a pair of runs to take the lead.
Giovanna Liggett (Huntington Beach, Calif./Edison) kickstarted a two out rally with a single, followed up by another single by
Amaya Esparza (Descansco, Calif./Granite Hills).
Sarah Harker (Irvine, Calif./Irvine) came through with the early baserunners, tripling to right field to bring both home and give Manhattanville an early 2-1 lead.
NYU evened the game in the third, scoring an unearned run, but once again the Valiants wasted little time getting back in the run column. Harker once again delivered a clutch hit with a runner in scoring position, lacing a single down the left field line to score Liggett with what proved to be the game-winning run.
The Violets would get just one base hit over the final four innings of play as Shinstine silenced the NYU sluggers to secure the win.
Game Two Recap: Manhattanville 5, NYU 13 (10 Innings)
It was another tight one in Game Two for most of the way, but the Violets erupted for eight runs in the tenth inning to run away with the game and earn the split.
The Valiants took another first inning lead off a
Samantha Walsh (Spring City, Pa./Owen J Roberts) two run homer, her first deep fly of her collegiate career. The 2-0 lead help until the fifth when NYU got on the board with an unearned run, but Harker responded by continuing to mash, drilling a two run homer to put Manhattanville up 4-1.
In the sixth, starter
Emily Mottoshiski (Craryville, N.Y./Taconic Hills) ran into her first trouble inning as the Violets evened the game up at 4-4. NYU used three hits and an error to pull the game back even. Neither team would be able to plate a run through the rest of the opening seven innings, resulting in Manhattanville's first extra inning game of the year.
The Violets struck first in the extra frame, plating a run in the top of the ninth. Manhattanville forced the game to go to the tenth after
Olivia Fasce (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown) started the inning as the runner placed on second. The rookie came around to score as a result of a pair of passed balls, and while the Vals were able to get the winning run to third, the team left the bases loaded heading into the tenth.
As it turned out, the missed opportunity in the previous inning would be pivotal as the Violets hung eight runs in the next inning to firmly put the game away. The visitors used six hits, a pair of walks and a Manhattanville error to pull away as Mottoshiski was unable to navigate the third extra inning. The rookie pitcher's final line was 10 runs (five earned) on 10 hits and five strikeouts in 9.1 innings. Walsh was able to get the final two outs of the inning, allowing three unearned runs as the Valiants were held scoreless in the bottom half to end the day.
Up Next
The Valiants are back home again on Saturday for a Skyline doubleheader against Mount Saint Mary starting at noon.
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