PURCHASE, N.Y. – The Manhattanville University softball team notched its second doubleheader Skyline sweep in as many days on Sunday, taking a pair of games against Saint Joseph's Brooklyn. The Valiants end a 4-1 week with a 15-7 record overall and improving to 8-0 in Skyline action.
Game One Recap: Manhattanville 7, Saint Joseph's Brooklyn 0
A day removed from her no-hitter against Sarah Lawrence,
Jori Wilkendorf (Livermore, Calif./Livermore) was dominant in the circle once again, firing a complete game shutout over the Bears to take the opener.
The junior allowed only three hits, all singles, with a walk and a hit-by-pitch, with no runners advancing past second base on her. Wilkendorf struck out three in the effort to improve to 10-3 on the season and lowers her ERA to 1.89.
After the offense was sat down in order in the first, Manhattanville plated five runs on seven hits in the second to seize control of the game.
Angelina Cruz (Oceanside, Calif./Rancho Buena Vista) led off by depositing a ball over the right field fence for her first homer of the season.
Sydni Brooks (Anaheim, Calif./Cypress) followed up with a double down the left field line and scored two batters later on
Cady Sickler's (Kingston, N.Y./Kingston) single.
Breanna Ochoa (South Gate, Calif./Saint Joseph),
Emma Foster (Santa Barbara, Calif./San Marcos) and
Josie O'Leary (Pawling, N.Y./Pawling) continued the scoring with three-straight RBI singles with two outs to swell Manhattanville's lead to 5-0.
The advantage was plenty the way Wilkendorf was dealing, but the Valiants tacked on two more insurance runs in the fifth on a two-out rally. Cruz and Brooks reached on a pair of singles, with
Samantha Reyer (Oceanside, N.Y./Oceanside) chasing both home on a double to push the score to 7-0.
Wilkendorf allowed only one hit over her final four innings of work, a leadoff single in the seventh. She responded by getting a pair of quick fly outs before handling a grounder off the bat of Alyssa Garcia for the final out of the game.
Cruz finished a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate, adding a double with her homer. Brooks, Foster, Sickler and
Alexa Lazur (Carlsbad, Calif./La Costa Canyon) all finished with two hits in the win.
Game Two Recap: Manhattanville 11, Saint Joseph's Brooklyn 1 (Five Innings)
Tahlia Smith (St. Helena, Calif./St. Helena) pitched another gem to follow up Wilkendorf as the Valiants earned their ninth run-rule victory of the season.
The freshman followed up yesterday's career-high nine strikeout performance with another seven punchouts on Sunday. Smith fired all five innings before the Valiants won via run rule and allowed just one hit in her outing, allowing one earned run in the fourth. Her ERA now sits at 3.13 for the season as her record climbs to 4-3.
After hitting the Bears' leadoff batter, Smith retired the next three in order to bring the Valiant bats up for the first time. They handed their started a 4-0 lead by the time the inning came to a close, doing the damage on five hits and an error. Foster led off with a bunt single, stealing second and scoring on a pair of wild pitches. O'Leary, reaching on a walk, came around on Tansey's RBI single to put the Valiants up 2-0.
Tansey stole second and scored with some chaos on the basepaths. Brooks beat out an infield single to short, with Tansey making a break for home on the attempted throw to first. The senior dove safely into home as the throw went off target, plating the third run and allowing Brooks to advance up to second. The first baseman later scored on an infield single by Sickler, extending the lead to 4-0.
Smith struck out the side in the second to send the hot bats back up to the plate, adding six more runs on eight hits. O'Leary brought home Foster with an RBI single before Tansey blasted a solo shot for the first home run of her senior year.
The Bears brought on a new arm after the home run as Makenna Burr came on in relief of Alyssa Garcia. Cruz and Brooks greeted the new pitcher with back-to-back singles, with Cruz scoring on another Sickler RBI single. Smith helped her own cause by driving in Brooks before
Breanna Ochoa (South Gate, Calif./Saint Joseph) cleared the bases with a two-run single as the lead swelled to 10-0.
The Valiants tacked on their final run in the third, a single off the bat of Brian Hospodar that plated
Lianna Lara (Santa Clarita, Calif./Sierra Canyon School).
Saint Joseph's finally broke through the Manhattanville pitching on a Valerie Scott sacrifice fly in the fourth, but Smith navigated a leadoff walk in the fifth to retire the next three in order, ending the game with her seventh strikeout.
In all, the Valiants tallied 18 base hits, 16 of which were singles.
Johanna Granillo (Reseda, Calif./Cleveland) added the only XBH outside of Tansey's homer with a double.
Manhattanville went 4-for-4 on stolen base tries, with Foster, Tansey, O'Leary and Smith all swiping a bag.
Up Next
The Valiants continue the homestand on Tuesday, hosting FDU-Florham for a 3 p.m. doubleheader in the first meeting between the two teams since 2019.
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