DOYLESTOWN, Pa. – Junior Alycia Feeney (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster) tossed a one-hit shutout and the top-seeded Manhattanville College softball team exploded for six runs in the fifth inning in an 8-0 (5 inn.) win over fourth-seeded Misericordia University in game one of the 2017 MAC Freedom Softball Championships, hosted by Delaware Valley University on Saturday morning.
 
Manhattanville (27-12) advances to the winner's bracket of the tournament, and will face the winner of today's second game between second-seeded Wilkes University and third-seeded King's (Pa.) College in a winner's bracket contest beginning at approximately 2 p.m. Misericordia (20-21) will face the loser of Wilkes and King's in an elimination game later today at approximately 4 p.m.
 
Senior Alicia Marino (Mahopac, N.Y./Pleasantville) led the Valiants at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a homer, two runs batted in and two runs scored. Classmate Dolores Diemicke (North Massapequa, N.Y./Plainedge) also had two hits and scored twice, while sophomore Aarin Hartenstein (Massapequa, N.Y./Plainedge) homered as well for the top seed.
 
After a scoreless first, Manhattanville scored twice in the second to open the scoring. Marino led off with a single to right, and then went to third on a double off the bat of Diemicke before coming home on a wild pitch. Diemicke then scampered home on a sacrifice fly from freshman Melina Strano (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster) to double the Valiant lead.
 
The Valiants exploded for six runs in the fifth inning to end the game early. Singles from sophomores Sophia Chapelone (Carlsbad, Calif./La Costa Canyon) and Desiree Buboi (Villa Park, Calif./Orange Lutheran) sandwiched around a walk to classmate Evonne Torres (Hacienda Heights, Calif./Pioneer) loaded the bases with none out before two runs came home on a Misericordia error. Marino crushed a two-run homer to left field to make it a 6-0 lead, before a Diemicke double and a two-run homer off the bat of sophomore Aarin Hartenstein (Massapequa, N.Y./Plainedge) finished things off early.
 
Feeney (14-5) settled in nicely after some early-game wildness, finishing off the contest by retiring the final nine batters of the game. The junior struck out four and did not allow a hit after Melanie Quintanilla started off the game with a single.