Game 1 Box Score / Game 2 Box Score

TROY, N.Y. – Freshman Sara Finkbeiner’s (Napanoch, NY/Ellenville) double off the right field wall scored classmate Jessica Muhic (Lorain, OH/Amherst Steele) in the bottom of the seventh inning as the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) softball team thwarted Manhattanville, 4-3, in the first game of a non-league doubleheader at Doris Robison Field. Rensselaer won the nightcap, 8-4, to improve to 25-3. The visiting Valiants are now 21-11.

With RPI holding a 3-0 lead going into the seventh inning of the opener, Manhattanville scored three times on two hits and three hits batsmen, including two with the bases loaded, to tie the game. The Red Hawks came right back when Muhic, the designated player, led off with a single. She was sacrificed to second base and scored on Finkbeiner’s extra base hit.

Rensselaer jumped in front with three runs in the third inning, highlighted by back-to-back RBI doubles by freshman Beth Gargon (East Hampton, CT/East Hampton), who knocked in two runs, and junior Katherine Valenta (LaGrange, IL/Lyons Township).

Freshman Michelle Street (East Syracuse, NY/East Syracuse-Minoa) earned the win, striking out ten while allowing just three hits in a complete game. Valenta and senior Amy Huling (Vienna, VA/Holton-Arms) both had two hits apiece.

Junior Maggie Thomas (Malvern, PA), who struck out five while allowing nine hits, suffered the loss. She is now 19-6. Three players had one hit apiece for the Valients, including junior Brianne Previti (Staten Island, NY), who also scored a run.

In the nightcap, RPI scored two runs in the fifth inning and two more in the sixth to snap a 4-4 tie on its way to the 8-4 win. Street earned the win in relief to improve to 11-1 while Valenta led Rensselaer’s 13-hit attack by going 3 for 4 with a double, a run and two RBI. Three others had two hits apiece.

For Manhattanville, junior Casey Killiard (East Meadow, NY) was 3 for 4 with a double and an RBI while freshman reliever Nicole Oliva (Hopewell Junction, NY) took the loss from the circle. She is now 2-5.

Rensselaer is back in action on Sunday when they travel to the University of Rochester for a Liberty League doubleheader. Manhattanville plays again on Wednesday in a Skyline Conference doubleheader against Maritime beginning at 3:30pm in Purchase, N.Y.