PURCHASE, N.Y. – The Manhattanville University softball team capped off a perfect 18-0 slate against the Skyline Conference on Friday with a doubleheader sweep of Old Westbury to clinch the No. 1 seed for next week's Skyline Conference Championship Tournament. Manhattanville will carry a 32-8 record overall into the postseason as the Valiants will host the three-day double elimination bracket starting on Thursday on the home field they went 12-1 on this season.
Game One Recap: Manhattanville 3, Old Westbury 2
Hits were a plenty but runs came at a premium in the day's opener, as
Jori Wilkendorf (Livermore, Calif./Livermore) and Hailey Ragozine gave up 11 hits each but limited the damage in what ended up being a low-scoring affair.
With two outs in the bottom of the second,
Samantha Reyer (Oceanside, N.Y./Oceanside) hit an infield single, the first of four-straight singles that plated the day's first runs.
Cady Sickler (Kingston, N.Y./Kingston) dropped a single into left to keep the line moving, bringing
Alexa Lazur (Carlsbad, Calif./La Costa Canyon) up. The junior found the gap in the left side to score Reyer, while one batter later,
Breanna Ochoa (South Gate, Calif./Saint Joseph) found the grass in the outfield to score Sickler and put the Valiants up 2-0.
Wilkendorf held the Panthers scoreless over the first three innings despite allowing a hit in each frame, but Old Westbury broke through in the fourth as the Skyline's home run leader Ashley Pierce smacked a leadoff blast over the center field fence to make it a one run game. The Panthers threatened with a bigger inning with a pair of one-out hits to get traffic on the bases, but Wilkendorf handled a pair of grounders herself to limit the damage to one.
The Valiants' leading starter tightroped out of another tight spot in the fifth as the Panthers loaded the bases with one out. Wilkendorf continued to induce weak contact, getting an infield popup and another roller back into the circle to protect the one-run lead.
Manhattanville tacked on an insurance run in the fifth that would loom large. With two away,
Isabella Tansey (San Diego, Calif./University City) doubled, scoring one batter later on
Angelina Cruz' (Oceanside, Calif./Rancho Buena Vista) RBI single.
Carrying the 3-1 lead into the 7
th, Wilkendorf responded to allowing a leadoff single after a nine-pitch at-bat with a pair of one-pitch outs. A passed ball put a runner in scoring position, as Aliya Feerick came home on a Pierce single. However, Wilkendorf locked in with the tying run now on base, striking out Arianna Valle for her fourth punchout of the game to close out the win.
Wilkendorf improved to 17-4 on the season with the win, allowing just the two runs (one earned) on 11 hits. The junior did not issue a walk, her first outing since her no-hitter on April 11 against Sarah Lawrence she didn't walk a batter. Wilkendorf will carry a 1.93 ERA into the postseason.
Tansey's double was the only extra base hit by the Valiant bats. Tansey, Reyer and Lazur each went 2-for-3 at the dish.
Game Two Recap: Manhattanville 5, Old Westbury 0
A complete game shutout from
Tahlia Smith (St. Helena, Calif./St. Helena) capped off the Valiants' undefeated run through the Skyline regular season, taking the finale against the Panthers.
The rookie Smith held Old Westbury scoreless on six hits and a pair of walks, striking out five. Smith has now thrown a complete seven innings in three of her last four starts, dropping her season ERA to 2.41 in the process. No pitcher is sporting a lower ERA against the Skyline than Smith, who will carry a 0.95 ERA versus the conference into the postseason.
Emma Foster (Santa Barbara, Calif./San Marcos) opened the bottom of the first with a first-pitch single, later getting into scoring position by stealing second. Two batters later, Cruz hit a grounder to short that was mishandled, allowing Foster to score from second on a ball that never left the infield.
The Panthers looked to immediately respond, getting the first two on in the second with a pair of infield singles. Smith would strand the pair in scoring position to keep the one run lead.
In the third, the Valiants scored without taking the bats off their shoulders as Smith walked, Ochoa was hit by a pitch, Foster drew an eight-pitch walk and Tansey was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to extend the lead to 2-0.
As Smith dealt, Manhattanville broke the game open with a three-spot in the fifth. An O'Leary bunt single and Tansey getting hit by another pitch put a pair on for Cruz. The Valiants' junior catcher cashed in with a two-run double and later scored two batters later of
Cady Sickler's (Kingston, N.Y./Kingston) single.
Old Westbury would load the bases in the seventh, but Smith got a pair of infield popups to end the game and complete the shutout.
Lazur also hit a double alongside Cruz, while O'Leary was the only Valiant with multiple hits in the finale.
Up Next
The Valiants earn a first round bye as the top seed straight into the four team double elimination bracket starting on Thursday. Manhattanville will open play against the winner of the No. 4-5 single elimination game taking place on Tuesday. More information will be available on govaliants.com in the coming days.
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