FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – The Manhattanville College softball team's win streak is now up to 24 games as the Valiants completed a doubleheader sweep of Old Westbury on Friday evening. The wins improves the Valiants' overall record up to 28-4 as they climb to 12-0 in conference play.
Game One Recap: Manhattanville 6, Old Westbury 1
In what was a pitching duel for most of the contest, the Valiants plated four runs in the seventh to firmly take control of Friday's opener to begin the doubleheader.
Olivia Fasce (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown) earned RBIs for the Valiants in the third and the fifth innings to account for the game's first runs.
Jayleen Torres (Bellflower, Calif./Downey) led off the third with a triple to right center, allowing Fasce to give herself up on a sacrifice bunt to plate the opening run. Two innings later, Torres reached and advanced to second on an error. She would steal third before Fasce rolled over one to the left side, scoring on the ground out.
Lately a beneficiary of plenty of run support,
Charli Shinstine (Encinitas, Calif./San Dieguito Academy) made do with the two runs through most of the game. The Valiant ace tossed yet another stellar game as she improved to 16-0, tying her personal best from a season ago. Shinstine allowed just one run in the seven inning complete game, giving up three hits and walking one while striking out eight. The lone blemish on her docket came in the sixth as an Alaina Reilly double broke up the shutout by plating Shannon Myles. Shinstine kept the tying run stranded at second with a pair of flyouts to preserve the 2-1 lead.
The Valiant bats came to the aid of their starter with a four run seventh to regain some insurance. After a leadoff Torres singles and Fasce getting hit by a pitch,
Sarah Harker (Irvine, Calif./Irvine) dropped in a single to center to score the lead runner. Two batters later, Fasce crossed on a
Samantha Walsh (Spring City, Pa./Owen J Roberts) ground out before
Juliana Parkes (Victoria, British Columbia, Canada/Belmont Secondary) found a gap on the right side of the infield to plate a pair of runs and blow the game open at 6-1. Shinstine returned the favor with a 1-2-3 seventh to seal the win, striking out the final two batters.
Game Two Recap: Manhattanville 14, Old Westbury 2
The Valiants scored runs in six of the seven innings in the nightcap, including an eight-run seventh to run away with things late and complete the sweep.
Eight of the nine batters in the Manhattanville starting lineup earned an RBI in the win as the bats came to life as the night drew on. The Valiants totaled 15 hits, eight of which went for extra bases.
It would be an unconventional start to the scoring as Harker lined a two-out triple to right.
Amaya Esparza (Descanso, Calif./Granite Hills) stepped up to bat and would reach via error, prolonging the inning and allowing Harker to score.
The Panthers quickly got the run back in the bottom half as a walk and a double off the bat of Reilly brought home the tying run. It would be a short stay with the score even as the Valiants went back in front in the second on a two-run single by Torres that allowed
Madison Gonzales (Azusa, Calif./Sacred Heart) and
Samantha Reyer (Oceanside, N.Y./Oceanside) to score.
The Valiants never looked back from that point as the bats continued to produce in support of
Emily Mottoshiski (Craryville, N.Y./Taconic Hills). The sophomore logged her 11
th straight win in the circle, scattering five hits and a pair of runs across her seven innings. She struck out six to help work around three walks.
The run support continued in the third as Esparza hit a solo homer to left to extend the Manhattanville lead up to 4-1. After being held scoreless in the fourth, the Valiants added another run in the fifth. Fasce led off the frame with a single, advanced to second on a wild pitch and stole third. Harker awarded her teammate for her hard work by putting a ball on the ground to allow Fasce to score the fifth run. Fasce would be involved in the run in the sixth, dropping down a bunt single to score
Isabella Tansey (San Diego, Calif./University City) and put Manhattanville up 6-1.
An inning later, the Valiants put on a clinic, driving in eight runs on six hits. After a leadoff walk and hit by pitch, Parkes and Tansey hit back-to-back RBI singles before Reyer drove in a third on a double to prompt an Old Westbury pitching change with the Valiants up 9-1. Gonzales greeted the new Panther arm with another double to score Tansey. Harker delivered an RBI single three batters later before Esparza delivered the final blow, a moonshot to left center for her second homer of the game to drive in three more. When all was said and done, the Valiants flipped the game upside down with a 14-1 lead.
The Panthers hit a leadoff home run in the bottom half but were unable to match the eruption of the Valiants to fall 14-2.
Up Next
The weekend's inclement weather forecast has led to a rescheduling of the Valiants' next outing. Manhattanville will now play host to Purchase on Wednesday for a 3:00 p.m. twinbill.
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