FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – The Valiants are championship round bound! In a contest that underwent a two-day weather suspension, the Manhattanville College softball team battled back to defeat St. Joseph's-Brooklyn 11-5 to advance to the Skyline Finals against top-seeded Farmingdale.
The game, which originally began on Friday afternoon, saw the Bears take a 4-3 lead through the first inning before rain led to the contest being suspended. More inclement weather delayed the game's resumption to today, but the delay seemed to do no harm to the Manhattanville bats, as the Valiants plated eight runs over the final six innings to take the win and eliminate the Bears.
The Valiants jumped out to a 3-0 lead on Friday after
Abby Tanuma (Chula Vista, Calif./Cathedral Catholic) drove in a pair with a double, scoring
Giovanna Liggett (Huntington Beach, Calif./Edison) and
Jayleen Torres (Downey, Calif./Downey). Tanuma then scored one batter later off
Rachel Coleman's (Lake Forest, Calif./Mission Viejo) single. The lead, however, would be shortlived, as the Bears immediately rallied back in the bottom half. Back-to-back leadoff walks issued by
Charli Shinstine (Encinitas, Calif./San Dieguito Academy) led to an early pitching change for the Valiants, with
Emily Mottoshiski (Craryville, N.Y./Taconic Hills) taking to the circle. Alexis Buchanan delivered the first big strike for the fourth-seeded Bears, keeping a double just fair down the left field line to score a pair. Buchanan would go on to score the tying run on a wild pitch, before Nicole Trani put St. Joseph's ahead with an RBI single, scoring Sofia Logreco. The Valiants made their third pitching change of the inning, tasking
Samantha Walsh (Spring City, Pa./Owen J Roberts) with getting out of the frame. She induced an inning-ending double play, but the rain became too harsh to continue playing.
With the game resuming on Sunday morning, the Valiants were quick to jump back in front with four runs in the second. Liggett dropped a single into right field to reclaim the lead as Torres and Mottoshiski scored. Walsh scored two batters later on a wild pitch to put the Valiants up by two, before Liggett scored on another wild pitch to give Manhattanville a 7-4 advantage.
With two days to rest and the weather much more pitcher friendly, Shinstine returned to the mound. She would pitch the rest of the contest, allowing just one run on five hits while striking out seven. The Valiants struck again for two more runs in the top of the third, as Mottoshiski and Liggett hit RBI singles to extend the lead to 9-4.
The lead continued to swell in the fifth, as Liggett hit an RBI double that scored Walsh before Esparza reach on a single that brought Liggett home with the 11
th run of the contest. The Bears would finally get to Shinstine in the sixth off Ashleigh Hartwig's single that plated Arianna Heinsch, but that would be all for the St. Joseph's offense as Shinstine held them scoreless in the seventh to secure the win.
The Valiants advance to the title series against Farmingdale State, which started at noon. By virtue of their loss to Farmingdale on Friday, if the Valiants lose the noon game to Farmingdale, the Rams will win the championship. If the Valiants are victorious, however, it will set up a winner-takes-all Game Nine at 2:00 p.m.
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