PURCHASE, N.Y. – The defending conference champs' quest for a three-peat got off to a successful start on Thursday afternoon as the top-seeded Manhattanville University softball team took down No. 4 Mount Saint Mary in the first game of the Skyline Conference Championship double elimination finals, 6-0. The Valiants advance in the winner's bracket, while the Knights drop into the elimination bracket with play resuming on Saturday.
After her dominant regular season,
Emily Mottoshiski (Craryville, N.Y./Taconic Hills) picked up right where she left off with another gem of a start to shutout the Knights. The senior tossed a seven inning complete game shutout, allowing just two hits and walking one while striking out four. Despite not being called upon to pitch in last year's postseason run, Mottoshiski has been lights out in this tournament since 2023, now allowing just one run across 21 total innings in three games. She improves to 16-5 with a 1.46 ERA in 2025.
The Valiant offense did all its damage across the first three frames. After
Isabella Tansey (San Diego, Calif./University City) led off the bottom of the first with a single, the Knights looked to strand her there after setting down the next two batters. Angela Cruz prolonged the inning by finding a gap through the right side of the infield that allowed Tansey to get up to third before
Rachel Coleman (Lake Forest, Calif./Mission Viejo) delivered the first big hit of the day, singling to right to chase home the game's first run.
Manhattanville tacked on three more in the second. With
Samantha Reyer (Oceanside, N.Y./Oceanside) on second,
Emma Foster (Santa Barbara, Calif./San Marcos) dropped down a beauty of a bunt to reach on a single and put runners on the corner. The play didn't end there, however, as the Valiant runners danced off the bases before Grace MacDonald returned to the circle. The Knights tried to throw out Reyer as she darted for home, but the tag was late.
Manhattanville's next two runs came from more conventional means, as Tansey had an RBI single to plate Foster and
Samantha Walsh (Spring City, Pa./Owen J Roberts) was able to bring home Tansey on a ground out to extend the home team's lead to 4-0.
The Valiants extended the lead with two more in the third as Coleman scored on Reyer's groundout while Foster brought Mottoshiski home on a single to left.
Tansey finished 3-for-4 at the top of the order, while Coleman, Reyer and Foster each enjoyed two-hit afternoons.
Reyer, Foster and
Olivia Fasce (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown) each successfully stole a base.
Mottoshiski gave up a lead-off single to begin the seventh but retired the next three batters on balls that didn't leave the infield to close out the win.
Up Next
Ahead of Friday's inclement weather forecast, all postseason action is schedule to resume on Saturday. Manhattanville awaits the winner of today's No. 2 Farmingdale-No. 3 Old Westbury contest for the day's opening game, currently scheduled for 10 a.m. Mount Saint Mary will take on the loser of the Rams-Panthers following the conclusion of Manhattanville's game.
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