SALISBURY, Md. - Wrapping up the weekend series in Salisbury, the Manhattanville University softball team traded tallies in the win and loss columns, taking the opening game of the day against SUNY Cortland, 3-1, but falling in the final game of the weekend series to ranked foe Salisbury, 5-1. With one final non-conference game on the docket before the Skyline season begins, the Valiants stand at a mark of 8-6.
Game One: Manhattanville 3, SUNY Cortland 1
Emily Mottoshiski (Craryville, N.Y./Taconic Hills) twirled her first game of the season without an earned run, pitching all seven innings of work, only walking one batter and producing seventeen putouts for her defense.
No action would be held in the scorebook until the top of the third inning, when the Red Dragons would lead off with a single to the third base side of the infield and getting another baserunner thanks to a defensive error on the first baseman, placing runners on first and third. The runner placed on third swiped home plate, for the first run of the ballgame. Cortland would threaten later in the inning with a single, but the Valiant defense would shut the door, catching the runner stealing second, and forcing a groundout.
Manhattanville would respond in the bottom half of the inning with a leadoff double from Alexa Lazur (Carlsbad, Calif./La Costa Canyon), who laced one to left field, placing herself in scoring position. Emma Foster (Santa Barbara, Calif./San Marcos) would subsequently single to centerfield to drive in Lazur, knotting the game at one-all. Isabella Tansey (San Diego, Calif./University City) would follow that up with a single of her own, for the bases-empty knock up the middle. Samantha Walsh (Spring City, Pa./Owen J Roberts) continued to mash the cover off the ball, producing her second home run of the season, a two-run shot to left field, making it a 3-1 ball game for the Valiants.
Mottoshiski would allow only three base knocks in the remainder of the contest, seeing the Valiants take the first game of the day, and sweeping the series against the Red Dragons.
Tansey, Walsh, Lazur, Foster, and Angelina Cruz (Oceanside, Calif./Rancho Buena Vista) all tallied hits against Cortland's hurler in the circle.
Game Two: Manhattanville 1, Salisbury 5
Having a tall task to face the top-fifteen ranked Sea Gulls, the Valiants struck first in the opening top-half of the frame.
Tansey was able to reach base with the first at-bat of the game thanks to a hit-by-pitch and being moved up to second base thanks to a wild pitch. Olivia Fasce (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown) hit a single to the third baseman, allowing Tansey to move up, standing 60 feet from home plate. Fasce swiped second base, making two runners in scoring position, but the Sea Gull defense replied with an out made at home plate, throwing out the runner darting for home. Sydni Brooks (Anaheim, Calif./Cypress) was later able to single through the right side of the infield, to bring home Fasce, having the Valiants take a 1-0 lead.
Salisbury would use the first three batters to draw two walks and a single, loading the bases. The Valiants were able to pull the same maneuver that took a run from them in their time batting, throwing out the runner at home thanks to a force at every base, but keeping the bases loaded. Ellen Stockman would hit a single to center field, scoring the runner on third, and keeping all ducks on the pond. Karlie Wolfe did the same as the batter before her, lining a single through the left side of the dirt, scoring another runner for a 2-1 lead.
Next time up for the Sea Gulls, they added to their lead with a two-run home run to left field, from the bat of Carrie Jacoby, putting the margin at 4-1.
Salisbury tacked on another run with a double steal in the bottom of the fourth inning, putting the score at 5-1, a margin that would hold until the seventh inning having the Sea Gulls take the final game of the weekend.
Jori Wilkendorf (Livermore, Calif./Livermore) was tabbed with the loss in the circle for the Valiants, totaling six innings pitched, striking out two while issuing five walks.
Up Next
The Valiants get ready for their final non-conference tune-up, taking on William Paterson on Thursday at 3:00 p.m. in New Jersey.
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