WEEHAWKEN, N.J. – Manhattanville softball extended its win streak to 12 with a pair of comeback victories on Wednesday afternoon over the Stevens Institute of Technology. Manhattanville improves to 23-7 overall with the wins to open an eight-game week.
Game One Recap: Manhattanville 4, Stevens 1
Alexa Lazur (Carlsbad, Calif./La Costa Canyon) went deep for the first time her junior season with a three-run bomb to cap off a four-run fourth as
Jori Wilkendorf (Livermore, Calif./Livermore) tightroped her way through a one-run complete game to take the opener.
Wilkendorf navigated crowded base paths all day long, as the Ducks racked up ten hits and drew four walks against the Valiant junior. Yet despite the traffic, Wilkendorf was able to get the outs when she needed, holding Stevens to just one run over the contest. Manhattanville's starter struck out four and got nine ground outs to keep the Ducks grounded.
After Stevens left a pair stranded in the first and second innings, the home team broke through in the third on a Carmelita Murphy-Brown double to score Allison Mitloff. Stevens threatened with a big inning with runners on the corners with still nobody out, but Wilkendorf got an infield popup followed by back-to-back strikeouts to limit the damage to the lone run.
The Valiants picked up their starter the following inning. With runners on first and second and two away,
Cady Sickler (Kingston, N.Y./Kingston) laced a ball down the right field line to score
Angelina Cruz (Oceanside, Calif./Rancho Buena Vista) with the tying run. Lazur then stepped up to the dish and delivered the big blow after a seven-pitch at-bat to dead center, plating Syndi Brooks and Sickler on the homer to put the Valiants up 4-1.
Now working with a lead, Wilkendorf continued to weave her way through baserunners, navigating a pair of walks in the fourth to post a scoreless frame. She went on to post her first 1-2-3 innings of the day in the fifth before stranding another two runners in the sixth after a pair of Stevens singles.
After the Valiants were set down in order in the seventh in a bid for more insurance runs, the Ducks' comeback bid began with a pair of leadoff singles. With the tying run at the plate, Wilkendorf was able to settle in one last time, getting Isabela Lipsky to ground into a fielder's choice to get the first out before a pair of infield popups to pick up her 13
th win of the season.
Lazur and Brooks enjoyed two-hit games in the win, with the former recording a stolen base alongside Cruz.
Game Two Recap: Manhattanville 8, Stevens 5
The Valiants rallied late for a five-run sixth for a comeback win to complete the day's sweep.
After the Ducks took a 3-0 lead in the second, Manhattanville got on the board in the third after
Josie O'Leary (Pawling, N.Y./Pawling) knocked in
Emma Foster (Santa Barbara, Calif./San Marcos) with a single after Foster's one-out triple. The Valiants would pull back even at 3-3 an inning later. With the bases loaded and two away, O'Leary dribbled a slow roller into no man's land to the right side of the infield, bringing home
Tahlia Smith (St. Helena, Calif./St. Helena). Not content to just go station-to-station,
Breanna Ochoa (South Gate, Calif./Saint Joseph) made the wide turn around third and darted for home as O'Leary beat out the infield hit, scoring the tying run on a wild throw home.
The Ducks went back in front in the bottom half with a two-out rally plating a pair. Manhattanville came roaring back in the sixth, scoring five runs on five hits and a Stevens error to mount their second comeback of the contest.
After Ochoa and Foster reached on a pair of one-out singles, it was O'Leary again on center stage in a chaotic play. The sophomore grounded a ball back to the pitcher as Foster scored from third, but the throw to first was muffed, allowing Ochoa to scored the tying run at 5-5.
With the door now wide open,
Isabella Tansey (San Diego, Calif./University City) plated the go-ahead run in O'Leary with a single. Cruz kept the line moving with a single and got into scoring position with a steal of second, bringing up Brooks. The senior found the gap in left center for a bases-clearing double, putting the Valiants up 8-5.
Leading for the first time all game, the Valiants made the call to bring on
Hyli De Los Santos (Tustin, Calif./Irvine) out of the pen for a two inning save opportunity. The sophomore rose to the challenge, working around a leadoff walk in the sixth by turning a 1-3-5 double play before keeping the Ducks off the board in the seventh, ending the game with her lone strikeout for her first collegiate save.
Smith earned the win, going five innings deep. The freshman allowed five runs on six hits and six walks while striking out three.
Seven different Valiants—Foster, O'Leary, Tansey, Cruz, Lazur, Smith and Ochoa—all finished with two hits in the win. Smith joined Cruz and Brooks in the doubles department, hitting her second two-bagger in as many games. Foster and Ochoa also each swiped a bag.
Up Next
The Valiants will make up their rained out doubleheader from Sunday against Mount Saint Vincent tomorrow, taking on the Dolphins at Fordham University for a pair starting at 6 p.m.
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