DOYLESTOWN, Pa. – Freshman Michael Lyon (North Babylon, N.Y./North Babylon) threw eight innings allowing one run on eight hits while shutting down Delaware Valley in their Freedom Conference series opener with the Aggies on Friday afternoon at Frank Wolfgang Field in Doylestown, Pa.

At the plate seniors Chris Nardozzi (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) and Dan Fiorito (Yonkers, N.Y./Fordham Prep) had two RBI each, and junior Johnny LoVetere (Southbury, Conn./Canterbury) went 3-for-5 to improve his batting average to .476 on the season. Junior Sean Ferguson (Astoria, N.Y./Xavier) and freshman Kevin Brady (Bronx, N.Y./Fordham Prep) also had multi-hit games as the Valiants went a combined 13-for-37 at the plate in the contest.

The Valiant offense was stymied in the first inning after getting two of the first three batters on and was held off the board. In the bottom half of the frame, the first three batters reached for the Aggies but Lyon got out of it with a strikeout and an inning-ending double play.

In the top of the second the offense woke up for Manhattanville as LoVetere reached on an infield single followed by freshman Bobby Guerra (Bronx, N.Y./Arlington) walking. Two batters later sophomore Elias Tsouristakis (New Rochelle, N.Y./Fordham Prep) walked to load the bases with one out bringing up Fiorito who singled to left to put the Valiants up 2-0. After a Brady fly out, Nardozzi came up to bat and tripled to right field to chase home two more runs and increase the lead to 4-0.

Junior John Bucci (Port Chester, N.Y./Port Chester) walked and advanced to third on LoVetere's second hit of the afternoon. Guerra hit into a double play but Bucci crossed the plate to make it 5-0. In the bottom half of the third Lyon allowed his only run of the afternoon on a pair of back-to-back two out hits, sending it to the fourth inning at 5-1.

Lyon continued to roll right along as did Aggies starter Jim Calabrese as both pitchers hung up opposing zeroes in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings.

Calabrese got into trouble in the top of the seventh as he loaded the bases after getting two outs and was then pulled in favor of Tyler Frounfelker who's first opponent was Guerra. The freshman drew the walk and forced home Manhattanville's sixth run of the contest. In the top of the ninth the Valiant offense got to Frounfelker after Ferguson singled and then stole second. Freshman Nick Euvino (Elmsford, N.Y./Archbishop Stepinac) who came on to replace Guerra in the previous inning singled to right to cap off the scoring for the day at 7-1.

Lyon was pulled in favor of classmate Joe Palmeri (Mastic, N.Y./Eastport/South Manor) for the bottom of the ninth inning after allowing a leadoff single. Palmeri walked his first batter of the game but got three of the next four batters while stranding the bases loaded as the Valiants earned their 12th victory of the season.

Lyon (4-1) finished the game pitching eight-plus innings allowing a run on eight hits and one walk while striking out four. Palmeri allowed the lone hit in his one inning of work. Taking the loss was Calabrese (1-4) who allowed six of Manhattanville's seven runs on 10 hits and four walks while striking out one. Frounfelker was touched up for one run on three hits while striking out a pair.

Manhattanville (12-12, 6-7 Freedom) and Delaware Valley (11-15, 3-10 Freedom) will conclude their three-game weekend series with a doubleheader tomorrow afternoon at Manhattanville Field in Purchase, N.Y. with first pitch slated for 1 p.m. Live stats of the game will be available on GoValiants.com.