SALISBURY, Md. – The Manhattanville College softball team was defeated twice in Sunday's finale games at the Margie Knight Tournament, dropping decisions to Carnegie Mellon and King's College. The Valiants conclude the opening weekend of the season with an 0-4 record.

Game One Recap: Manhattanville 1, Carnegie Mellon 2
A pitching duel to open up the day, a pair of fourth inning runs by the Tartans was the difference maker as the Valiants dropped the first game on Sunday to Carnegie Mellon.

After being held scoreless across both games on Saturday, Manhattanville plated their first run of the season in the top of the first. With two out, Sarah Harker (Irvine, Calif./Irvine) lined a double to right for the Valiants' first hit of the day. A speed threat on the base paths, Harker drew a throw to second by the Tartan catcher as she built a sizeable lead. The throw sailed into center, allowing Harker to score on the play with the team's first run.

The Valiants could not build upon the early momentum, being limited to just one hit across the next three frames. The Tartans threatened with runners in scoring position in each of the first three innings, but Charli Shinstine (Encinitas, Calif./San Dieguito Academy) navigated around the traffic to protect the 1-0 lead. Carnegie Mellon finally broke through in the fourth inning after an error allowed Koko Sagae to reach as the leadoff batter. The Valiants retired the next two batters, but the extra out was enough of an opportunity for the Tartans to strike as a hit by pitch followed by a Maya Goodwin pinch-hit triple plated a pair of runs to give Carnegie Mellon the 2-1 lead they protected the rest of the way.

Shinstine went four innings in the loss, allowing four hits and a pair of walks with the pair of unearned runs. The graduate pitcher struck out five. Emily Mottoshiski (Craryville, N.Y./Taconic Hills) tossed the final two innings, allowing just one hit and a walk with a pair of punch outs.

The Valiants' best chance to score the tying run came in the seventh after Alexa Lazur (Carlsbad, Calif./La Costa Canyon) led off with a double. The freshman advanced to third on Cady Sickler's (Kingston, N.Y./Kingston) sac bunt, but she would be stranded there after Amanda Smith got a strikeout and popup to finish her complete game victory in the circle for the Tartans.

Samantha Walsh (Spring City, Pa./Owen J Roberts) added a double for her first hit of the season. Harker added a single to go along with her first-inning double, while Juliana Parkes (Victoria, British Columbia, Canada/Belmont Secondary) accounted for Manhattanville's other hit in the contest.

Game Two Recap: Manhattanville 6, King's 8 (Eight Innings)
The Valiant bats had their best outing of the young campaign with eight total hits against the Monarchs, but a three-run effort by King's in the eighth handed Manhattanville their first extra inning loss of the season.

Scoreless through the first two frames, the Monarchs used a pair of singles and sacrifice bunt to put a pair of runners in scoring position with one away. Jessica Perella cashed in with a two run single into center to give King's the lead.

The Valiants were quick to respond in the bottom half. Parkes led off with a single and scored a batter later as Harker legged out a triple. After an Amaya Esparza (San Diego, Calif./Granite Hills) walk, Harker scored on Sydni Brooks' (Anaheim, Calif./Cypress) fielder's choice. Brooks then put the Valiants ahead as she raced around the bases on Lazur's single, capping off the three-run inning.

King's retook the lead in the top of the fourth, scoring three runs on a pair of hits and a Valiant error. Manhattanville had another comeback in store in the fifth after Harker and Esparza led off with back-to-back singles. The baserunners both advanced on steals and scored two batters later after a Lazur grounder was unable to be fielded cleanly by the Monarch third baseman, tying the game up at 5-5.

With just one hit between the teams over the next two innings, the contest went into extras. The Monarchs brought home the runner placed on second after a sacrifice bunt and a Colleen Shuler single. King's added two more hits on a Madison Badali single and Breanna Goldspiel double to plate another run, with pinch runner Nina Anzalone scoring in the following at-bat on a ground out to spot the Monarchs a three-run lead. Rachel Coleman (Lake Forest, Calif./Mission Viejo) began the Valiant eighth on second and advanced to third on Samantha Reyer's (Oceanside, N.Y./Oceanside) double, but Manhattanville was only able to plate on run on a Madison Gonzales (Azusa, Calif./Sacred Heart) ground out, falling 8-6 in extras.

Mottoshiski made her second appearance of the day, this time getting the start in the circle. The junior went four innings, giving up five runs (four earned) on seven hits and a walk while striking out one. Jori Wilkendorf (Livermore, Calif./Livermore) made her collegiate debut in relief, pitching the final four innings. The rookie was tagged for all three runs (two earned) in the eighth, allowing five hits in her outing with a pair of strikeouts.

Esparza and Olivia Fasce (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown) each doubled in the loss, with Esparza and Harker the lone Valiants with multiple hits.

Up Next
The Valiants head back down to Salisbury next weekend for a four-game stretch. Manhattanville will play one game against both Salisbury and Stockton on both Saturday and Sunday, with Saturday's action scheduled for an 11:30 a.m. start.

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