Rider University 3, Columbia University 1
Rider University 9, Columbia University 0 / (6 innings)
Rider's Harris 2 HR's / 5 RBI
NEW YORK, N.Y.?Rider University sophomore Candice Harris (Las Vegas, Nev./Coronado) homered twice as Rider broke a six-game losing streak, sweeping Columbia in a non-conference doubleheader Thursday afternoon. “We played much more relaxed and with more confidence,” said head coach Tricia Carroll. “It was a good day.”
In the second game, Harris broke a scoreless tie in the third inning with her third home run of the season, over the leftfield foul pole. In the fourth inning, junior Katy Mills (Seattle, Wash./Mount Rainier) hit a two-out, two-run single giving Rider a 3-0 lead.
“We just went out there today with more confidence,” said Harris. “I was able to feed off everyone else.”
Rider (7-12) added three runs in the fifth on a double steal and a two-run home run from freshman Brittany Eckett (Jackson/Jackson Memorial), her second homer of the season. An RBI double by senior Mandi Sekly (Canyon Country, Calif./Canyon) and an RBI single from Eckett keyed a three-run sixth inning for the Broncs as the game ended early on the eight-run mercy rule. Eckett had two hits in the second game.
Senior Jessica Holland (Hatboro, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) pitched a complete game three-hitter with five strikeouts and did not allow a hit until two outs in the third inning.
“Any day we can go out and get a big lead is great,” said Holland who picked up her second win of the season. “It gives me a chance to be more aggressive when I have a lead to work with. I worked on mixing up my pitches a lot, changed speeds and basically tried to keep them [Columbia] off balance.”
“Jess pitched well,” said Carroll. “She did a really nice job. Columbia is an aggressive hitting team and she kept the ball down and when they did hit it, we made some nice defensive plays. That was the kind of effort that we needed.”
In the opener, junior Lauren Brunner (Chino, Calif./Chino) scattered eight hits in a complete game effort, striking out two, both in the bottom of the seventh with runners at second and third.
“Both teams made some very good defensive plays, especially in the first game,” said Carroll. “Lauren did a nice job. Columbia hit the ball hard a couple of times but right at us so we were able to make the plays. It's interesting when you scatter eight hits and it was kind of ?bend but don't break' but we controlled the things that we could control and came out with the win.”
Trailing 1-0 in the fifth inning, Harris hit her second home run of the season, a three-run shot to leftfield, scoring Brunner who reached on a walk and Sekly who had singled.
“Candice's first home run was big,” Carroll said. “We moved her into the lead off spot today and my crystal ball must have been working. She's been getting on base a lot and it seemed that our lead off spot was coming up in some big spots during the past few games and since Candice was getting on base, we decided to plug her into that spot and it worked.”
“It definitely was a change for me batting lead off,” said Harris. “You don't get to see as many pitches but overall you have to just go up there and do what you can to get on base and I was lucky enough to get some good pitches to hit. The confidence that coach showed in me, putting me at the lead off position helped me and I think really helped the team because it gave us all the confidence that we could do the job.”
Harris finished with three hits and five RBI in the doubleheader.
Also for the Broncs in game one, senior Aimee Schiller (Moreno Valley, Calif./Moreno Valley) had two hits with sophomores Derrin Minunni (Cohoes, N.Y./Shaker) and Megan Kozlowski (Richboro, Pa./Council Rock-North) each adding a double.
The Broncs have now won eight of 19 in the series against the Lions and this is the first time since the 2006 season that Rider has defeated Columbia.
“The energy, effort and attitude were better today,” Carroll added. “Those are the things that we can control and when that happens, you get the results like you did today.”
Rider travels to West Long Branch, New Jersey for a non-conference doubleheader against Monmouth Sunday. “We are looking to head in the right direction and get some good outings as we get closer to conference play,” Carroll said.
The Broncs open the conference schedule, hosting Siena on April 12.
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