VIRGINIA BEACH, VA – The Manhattanville College softball team made their 2023 NCAA Tournament debut on Thursday afternoon, squaring off against The College of New Jersey in the opening round of the Virginia Wesleyan Regional double elimination bracket. Playing in the first game of the regional, the Valiants were bested by the Lions by a final of 2-1. The loss drops Manhattanville into the elimination bracket, where they will need to win all four remaining games to advance into the next round of the NCAA Tournament.

A quick start for the Valiants in the first had the Skyline Conference champs ahead early. With two away, Sarah Harker (Irvine, Calif./Irvine) laced a double to right field. Amaya Esparza (Descanso, Calif./Granite Hills) would get on board after being hit by a pitch, bringing Samantha Walsh (Spring City, Pa./Owen J Roberts) up to bat. The sophomore hit a sharp grounder back up the middle that was gloved down by a diving Lion defender, but Walsh beat out the throw. An ever-alert Harker made the turn around third and came across home plate to put the Valiants up 1-0. A bigger inning loomed as Walsh and Esparza each advanced a base on a wild pitch, but a strikeout ending the inning without any further damage done by the Valiants.

The Lions responded in the bottom of the second. Mckayla Yard hit a one out double off Charli Shinstine (Encinitas, Calif./San Dieguito Academy) and would advance to third following a wild pitch. The TCNJ sophomore came home on a squeeze bunt dropped by Alexis Rizzo, just beating the throw by Sydni Brooks (Anaheim, Calif./Cypress) and sliding around Esparza's tag. Like Manhattanville in the first, the Lions threatened to blow the game wide open as a single and another wild pitch put a pair in scoring position still with one away. Shinstine settled in to get her first strikeout of the game before the inning drew to a close on a baserunner interference call with the score evened at 1-1.

TCNJ went right back to work in the third. Jaclyn Carifi dropped down a bunt along the third base line, reaching safely and advancing to second as the throw attempt went awry. Julia Kinnally delivered for the Lions with the runner in scoring position, breaking up the tie with an RBI to left center. Once again, the Lions were poised to firmly swing momentum on their side, but Shinstine got a pair of fly outs before ending the inning with a strikeout to keep the deficit at just one run.
That would be all the Lions would hang against the Valiant senior, as she went all six innings in just her second loss of the year. Shinstine gave up nine hits, allowing the two runs (one earned) with a walk and striking out five.

Manhattanville was poised to tie up the game in the fourth as a pair of singles to open up the inning put a pair of runners on with no outs, chasing starter Elizabeth Gosse from the game. The Lions turned to Ally Schlee who, despite throwing a wild pitch, got the three outs to strand both runners and keep TCNJ in front.

Down to their final outs, the Valiants put together one last comeback effort in the seventh. With one away, Juliana Parkes (Victoria, British Columbia, Canada/Belmont Secondary) singled to center. She would be pinch run for by Madison Gonzalez, who took second base on a steal soon after. Samantha Reyer (Oceanside, N.Y./Oceanside) walked to put a pair on, with both runners advancing to scoring position on a Melissa Lopez (Whittier, Calif./California) ground out. Jayleen Torres (Bellflower, Calif./Downey) loaded the bases with a walk, but once again the Lions bent and refused to break as Schlee got Olivia Fasce (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown) to roll over on a pitch, grounding out to second to prevent the tying run from scoring.

Walsh was the only Valiant with multiple hits, finishing 2-for-3 with the lone RBI.

Up Next
The Valiants will look to keep their postseason run going when they return to action tomorrow. They will take on John Jay in a win-or-go-home game at 2:30, with the winner advancing to another elimination game later in the day against the loser of the morning's TCNJ-Virginia Wesleyan contest.

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