The Misericordia University softball team split a pair of games to finish second at the MAC Freedom Championships, Saturday at Wilkes.

The Cougars beat Wilkes, 3-1, in the opener to advance to the title game where they lost to Manhattanville, 6-3.

Ciara DeLong hit a solo homer against Wilkes and Jessie McDonough had two hits and an RBI.  Kiersten Pflueger drove in a run to make a winner of Brooke Moyle.  Moyle struck out two while allowing just four hits and no earned runs to beat the Colonels for the second time in as many days.

In the final, the Cougars rally came up short as the left bases loaded in the top of the seventh.

Pflueger drove in two runs and Miranda Bohn had two hits.  Bohn allowed nine hits over six innings to absorb the loss.

In the opener, Wilkes scored its lone run in the top of the second inning.

The Cougars answered when DeLong led off the bottom of the third with a solo homer to left.

Maddie Holub reached via error to lead off the fifth and stole second base.  Pflueger singled to drive in the go-ahead run and advanced to second.

Two outs later, McDonough doubled to left center to give the Cougars a 3-1 lead.

In the final, Manhattanville took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first and added five runs in the third.

Bohn and McDonough both singled in the top of the second, but were stranded.

MU put two runners on in the third when DeLong singled and Holub was by a pitch, but a double play ended the threat.

The Cougars finally broke through in the top of the seventh.  Brianna Holder reached on an infield single and advanced on Caitlin Kennedy's single up the middle.  Amanda Butera drew a one-out walk to load the bases.

Pflueger's two-out single up the middle cut the deficit to 6-2.  Bohn singled to re-load the bases and Moyle drove in a run and bring the go-ahead run to the plate.

Following a pitching change, the Valiants got a line drive to left field to end the game.