Purchase, N.Y. – Behind a complete game shutout from freshman
Bridget Morris (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) in game one, the Mount Saint Mary College Softball team earned a split at Manhattanville on Sunday afternoon. The Knights salvaged the final conference decision with a 1-0 win in game one on Sunday before falling in the backend of the set 6-1.
Game 1: Mount Saint Mary 1 – Manhattanville 0
After getting swept by the Valiants on Saturday, the Knights collected a much needed conference win in Sunday's opener behind Morris' first career shutout. After losing her first decision in seven outings in Saturday's opener, Morris came back with 7.0 stellar innings on Sunday, allowing seven hits and fanning three. She lowered her earned run average to 1.65 in her fifth complete game of the season.
Mount Saint Mary got all the scoring it would need in the third inning with just one hit in the frame.
Alicia Killeen (Nesconset, N.Y.) led off the inning with a walk and
Melanie McClinchey (Medford, N.Y.) pushed Killeen into scoring position after getting hit with a pitch with one out.
With two outs in the frame,
Samantha Bendig (Bellmore, N.Y.) singled home Killeen with the game's only run.
Bendig finished with two of the team's three hits in the opener with
Lauren Farina (Niskayuna, N.Y.) going 1-for-3 to account for the team's other safety in the contest. Bendig drove in her 21
st run of the season with Killeen crossing with her 12
th run of the year.
Isela Casillas finished 3-for-4 for the Valiants with Jaclyn DeLuca and Gio Liggett each recording a pair of hits. Charli Shinestine took the tough luck loss after allowing a run on three hits while striking out 12 batters.
Game 2: Manhattanville 6 – Mount Saint Mary 1
Mount Saint Mary was held to a single run for the third straight game in Sunday's game two and finished the series with just three runs scored. Manhattanville jumped out to a 1-0 lead when Amaya Esparza connected on a home run in the fourth inning.
Mount Saint Mary got the game even in the top of the sixth after
Laura Dentato (Farmingdale, N.Y.) led off the frame with a single and Bendig followed with a double to put runners on second and third with no one out.
Morgan O'Neill (Little Falls, N.Y.) drove in the Mount's only run of the game when she delivered Dentato with a one-out sacrifice fly.
Manhattanville answered back in the home half of the sixth, pushing across five runs to move in front by the final five run decision. Jayleen Torres, Julia Bucci, Brooke Franson and Liggett all drove in runs with base hits in the sixth for the Valiants.
Five different Knights finished game two with a hit with Dentato, Farina,
Olivia Ferara (Middletown, N.Y.) and
Riley Norwood (East Haven, Conn.) singling and Bendig ripping her sixth double of the season. O'Neill drove in her 15
th run of the season while Dentato scored her team leading 23
rd run.
Esparza led the Valiants in game two, going 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI. Franson was 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI with Torress finishing with a hit, run and RBI.
Nicole Rosner (Brewster, N.Y.) suffered the loss after allowing six runs on 11 hits in 5.1 innings.
Christen Hansen (Cypress, Calif.) came on to get the final two outs for the Knights. Jasmine Feliciano earned the win with 6.0 strong innings with Kylie Pester picking up the save with a scoreless inning of relief.
Sunday's split moves Mount Saint Mary to 12-6 overall and to 10-4 in Skyline Conference play. Next up for the Knights is a four-game set with Farmingdale State starting on Friday. The road doubleheader is scheduled to begin at 5:00 p.m.
