PURCHASE, N.Y. – The Manhattanville University softball team celebrated Senior Day on Sunday afternoon with a pair of wins over Farmingdale State College, sweeping a doubleheader against the Rams to take sole possession of first place in the Skyline Conference standings. The Valiants improve to 27-7 overall and 14-0 in conference play.
Prior to first pitch, the Valiants celebrated the senior class of
Sydni Brooks (Anaheim, Calif./Cypress),
Samantha Reyer (Oceanside, N.Y./Oceanside),
Cady Sickler (Kingston, N.Y./Kingston),
Isabella Tansey (San Diego, Calif./University City) and
Ruby Wilson (Merrimack, N.H./Bishop Guertin) with a pregame ceremony. The five were contributors to 127 wins entering the day over the last four seasons, winning the Skyline Conference title in 2023 and 2024 as freshmen and sophomores.
Game One Recap: Manhattanville 6, Farmingdale 0
A scoreless game through the first three and a half innings, the Valiants broke through in the bottom of the fourth, scoring in each of the next three innings to break the game open.
Fittingly for their Senior Day, Tansey and Brooks teamed up to supply the game's first run. Ahead in the count 2-0, Tansey drilled a ball to right center to put a runner in scoring position for the first time since the first inning. The senior outfielder advanced to third on a passed ball, bringing Brooks up to the plate. The first baseman found the hole on the left side of the infield to chase home Tansey and putting the Valiants up 1-0.
The Valiants tacked on two more in the fifth on an
Emma Foster (Santa Barbara, Calif./San Marcos) double to bring home
Tahlia Smith (St. Helena, Calif./St. Helena) and
Breanna Ochoa (South Gate, Calif./Saint Joseph). Carrying a 3-0 lead into the sixth, Manhattanville pulled away with a three run frame. After leadoff singles from
Alexa Lazur (Carlsbad, Calif./La Costa Canyon) and Reyer, Smith rolled a grounder to the left side two batters later. After checking Lazur back to third, the throw to first was off target, allowing both runs to score and Smith to get all the way up to third. Ochoa then brought her home on a sacrifice fly to put Manhattanville up 6-0.
In addition to scoring twice and driving in a run, Smith pitched the best game of her freshman season. The rookie arm tossed all seven shutout innings, holding the Rams to four hits. Smith walked just one and struck out four. It was Smith's third complete game shutout of the year, the first one to go seven innings, as she improved to 10-3 overall with a 2.49 ERA.
Foster and
Josie O'Leary (Pawling, N.Y./Pawling) had two hit games at the top of the Valiant lineup, with both of Foster's hits going for two bases.
Game Two Recap: Manhattanville 6, Farmingdale 0
The Valiants got another dominant start in the circle for game two, this time from
Jori Wilkendorf (Livermore, Calif./Livermore), as Manhattanville scored in five separate innings to complete the sweep.
After Wilkendorf retired the side in order in the top of the first, Foster delivered a lead-off homer in the bottom half to right, her first home run of the season, to put the home side up early 1-0.
Wilkendorf allowed just one hit over the first five innings of work, allowing the Valiant bats to steadily build out their lead. In the third, Lazur lead off with a double and scored three batters later on an O'Leary single. An inning later, Angela Cruz hit her own leadoff double and scored on a single off the bat of Brooks to go up 3-0.
Tansey went yard in the fifth with a two-out homer, a solo shot that was her third home run of the season and accounted for the 100
th run scored of her career as the Valiant lead climbed to four.
Wilkendorf finally faced traffic in the sixth, allowing a pair of singles to the Rams before getting out unscathed with a ground out. Manhattanville had their biggest inning of the game in the sixth, plating two more to put the game out of reach. With two away, Sickler doubled to left field before Wilson was called upon to pinch hit. The catcher swung at the first pitch she saw, sneaking one past the left side of the infield to score Sickler. Lazur then took Wilson's spot on the bases, scoring in the next at-bat on Ochoa's single.
Wilkendorf closed out the game with a pair of groundouts before allowing a walk. The junior was unrattled by the baserunner, getting Natalie McMicahel to pop out to Ochoa at second and complete the sweep. Wilkendorf improved to 15-3 on the year with the win, allowing just three hits and a pair of walks while striking out two. With the complete game shutout, her ERA dips back below two at 1.90 for the season.
O'Leary stole the lone base for the Valiants in the win, her 24
th steal of the season.
Up Next
The Valiants open the final week of the regular season tomorrow with a home doubleheader against Mount Saint Mary starting at 3 p.m.
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