PURCHASE, N.Y. – A week long of schedule changes could not put a damper on Senior Day for the Manhattanville University softball team on Thursday afternoon as the Valiants swept a Skyline Conference doubleheader against Saint Joseph's Long Island to close out the regular season home slate. The Valiants improve to 28-8 overall and remain unbeaten in conference play at 16-0.
Originally scheduled to play and honor the Class of 2025 on Saturday, inclement weather on the horizon for the weekend resulted in a 48-hour advance of game day. Despite the last minute change, the Valiant seniors—
Olivia Fasce (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown),
Rachel Coleman (Lake Forest, Calif./Mission Viejo),
Samantha Walsh (Spring City, Pa./Owen J Roberts) and
Emily Mottoshiski (Craryville, N.Y./Taconic Hills)—were able to be joined by their family members for a pregame ceremony before taking the pair of contests against the Golden Eagles. Manhattanville has been unstoppable at home, improving to 14-0 on the year on their own field.
Game One Recap: Manhattanville 9, Saint Joseph's Long Island 0 (Five Innings)
Fittingly, Mottoshiski showcased her skillset in the opener for her 15
th win of the season in the circle while driving in a pair at the plate.
Mottoshiski tossed five innings, holding the Golden Eagles to just two hits and a walk. She punched out four in the shutout, dropping her season ERA to 1.61. No Golden Eagle baserunners made it past second base against Mottoshiski, as a second inning double was the most the SJLI bats could muster against the Manhattanville ace.
Mottoshiski's classmates helped out their fellow senior in the first with a two-run frame. Fasce started the rally with a one-out double before Walsh beat out an infield single and advanced up to second to put a pair in scoring position. After
Angelina Cruz (Oceanside, Calif./Rancho Buena Vista) walked to load up the bases, Coleman rolled over on one to bring home Fasce. Coleman beat the backend of the double play attempt to first as Walsh never stopped running from second, crossing home with the second run.
Manhattanville went back to work in the third, loading up the bashes on Walsh and Cruz singles and a Coleman walk. Mottoshiski drilled a ball back up the middle to plate the first two while the relay from the outfield sailed to the backstop to allow Coleman to come home with the third run of the play.
The Valiants put up one more big frame in the fourth as Walsh hit a three-run double before scoring on an RBI double off the bat of Cruz. Up 9-0, Mottoshiski got a pair of strikeouts and a fly out to retire the side in the fifth to win via run rule.
Game Two Recap: Manhattanville 19, Saint Joseph's Long Island 2 (Five Innings)
Manhattanville matched its season-high run total, scoring 19 on 21 hits to complete the sweep.
The seniors combined for 13 hits, led by a 4-for-4 effort from Walsh. She drove in four with a double and a homer, scoring four runs on her lonesome. Coleman and Mottoshiski went 3-for-3 while Fasce went 3-for-4. Mottoshiski doubled twice, while Fasce and Coleman had one double each.
Coleman, Cruz and
Johanna Granillo (Reseda, Calif,/Cleveland) all went deep alongside Walsh as the ball was carrying as the sun began to dip below the tree line. Granillo's homer was the first of the rookie's career.
Manhattanville teed off for a six run first inning and never looked back. Walsh, Coleman, Mottoshiski,
Samantha Reyer (Oceanside, N.Y./Oceanside),
Alexa Lazur (Carlsbad, Calif./La Costa Canyon) and
Emma Foster (Santa Barbara, Calif./San Marcos) all notched an RBI in the explosive frame to spot
Jori Wilkendorf (Livermore, Calif./Livermore) a sizeable lead to work with.
The sophomore pitcher improved to 9-4 with her outing in the circle, giving up two runs in her five innings. Wilkendorf scattered six hits and a pair of walks, with both of her runs allowed coming in the third. She struck out four and dipped her ERA down to 2.46.
Manhattanville added onto the lead in the second on a Cruz sacrifice fly and a two-run Coleman blast to go up 9-0. The Golden Eagles scratched out their first runs of the afternoon with two in the third before the Valiants flexed their muscles with a Cruz two-run homer and Granillo's three-run blast in the bottom half to go up 14-2.
Walsh joined in on the home run derby with a three run shot in the fourth before Manhattanville added its final runs on a Mottoshiski sacrifice fly and Reyer's RBI single to push the lead to 19-2.
Up Next
The Valiants close out the regular season tomorrow in a clash of the top two teams in the standings, traveling to Farmingdale for a doubleheader starting at 5 p.m.
VALIANTS on SOCIAL MEDIA For the latest on Manhattanville Athletics, follow the Valiants via social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads and YouTube. #WeAreValiant #GoValiants
