SALISBURY, MD (March 13, 2026)—The King's College softball team dropped a pair of matchups at the Margie Knight Softball Classic at the Henry S. Parker Athletic Complex on Saturday. The Monarchs nearly made a miraculous comeback in the first game, falling 15-14 against NYU before dropping the second by a score of 11-1 against Manhattanville. The losses bring the Monarchs to an even 5-5 overall.
 
Game 1: L, 15-14, vs NYU
 
NYU jumped out early, scoring three runs in the first inning before erupting for six runs on seven hits in the second to build a 9-0 advantage.
 
The Monarchs answered in the bottom of the second as Ellie Higdon, Madison Badali, and Megan Matsko opened the inning with consecutive singles to load the bases. Kara Krouse then reached on a throwing error that allowed two runs to score, cutting the deficit to 9-2.
 
After the Violets added single runs in the third and fourth innings and three more in the fifth to take a 14-2 lead, King's responded with its biggest rally of the day in the bottom of the fifth. Higdon drove in a run with a single to center before Colleen Shuler added an RBI single. Brianna Kesslick later drew a bases-loaded walk, and Paige Bergan capped the inning with a three-run double to center field to bring the Monarchs within 14-9.
 
King's continued to chip away in the sixth when Molly Veach came around to score on a fielder's choice by Madison Badali.
 
Trailing 15-10 entering the seventh, the Monarchs made one final push. Elise Larson and Breanna Goldspiel drew back-to-back walks and both came around to score on wild pitches. Veach later brought home a run on a fielder's choice before Higdon delivered an RBI single to cut the deficit to one, but NYU was able to record the final out to hold on for the exciting 15-14 win.
 
Higdon led the Monarchs at the plate with a 4-for-5 performance and two RBI. Bergan added three hits and three RBI, while Goldspiel reached base four times with four walks and scored twice.
 
Game 2 – L, 11-1 vs. Manhattanville
 
King's and Manhattanville played to a scoreless opening inning as the Valiants threatened with a two-out triple, but the Monarchs were able to keep the runner stranded. The Monarchs were retired in order in the bottom half to send the game into the second inning tied at 0-0.
 
Manhattanville broke through in the top of the second inning, using a combination of hits and aggressive baserunning to score five runs and take an early 5-0 advantage. The Valiants opened the inning with a double and later plated the first run on a steal of home. A sacrifice fly and RBI single added two more runs before a triple to right field brought another run across. Manhattanville capped the inning with an RBI single to extend the lead.
 
The Valiants added another run in the third inning as a two-out triple down the left field line drove in a run to make the score 6-0. Manhattanville continued to build its lead in the fourth inning, capitalizing on an error before an RBI double to center field pushed the margin to 7-0.
 
Both teams were held scoreless in the fifth inning before Manhattanville added four more runs in the sixth. The Valiants took advantage of a pair of errors and delivered a two-run single to extend their lead to 11-0.
 
King's broke through in the bottom of the sixth inning. Breanna Goldspiel opened the frame with a single before Paige Bergan worked a walk to put two runners aboard. After a flyout moved Goldspiel to third, Ellie Higdon delivered an RBI single to center field to score Goldspiel and put the Monarchs on the board. The Valiants were able to close out the sixth after the RBI and secured the win.
 
Goldspiel, Bergan, Marianelli, Higdon, Badali, and Larson each recorded a hit for the Monarchs, while Higdon drove in the lone run of the game with her RBI single. Madisyn vonFrisch tossed a complete game in the circle for King's, striking out three across six innings.
 
King's softball looks to bounce back as they return to the field on Saturday, March 14^th for two more matchups at the Margie Knight Softball Classic against Juniata and Stockton at 11:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., respectively.