College Softball
Lehigh University 8, Rider University 6 / 8 innings
Lehigh University 13, Rider University 6 / 5 innings (darkness)
LAWRENCEVILLE-The Rider University softball team lost a non-conference doubleheader to Lehigh University Tuesday afternoon at Herb and Joan Young Field on the Lawrenceville campus.
Trailing 5-4 in the fifth inning of game one, Rider (8-17) took a 6-5 lead on junior Brittany Eckett's (Jackson/Jackson Memorial) fifth home run of the season. Eckett had two hits, two runs and three RBI in the doubleheader.
"There were a lot of positives from the first game," said head coach Tricia Carroll. "Eckett crushed the ball and we made some things happen. But we didn't do the little things well against a team that had back to back 40 win seasons (Lehigh). It is frustrating because I felt like we gave them that first game."
Lehigh (19-9) tied the game in the sixth on a Rider error and scored twice on four hits in the top of the eighth.
"We did a lot of little things poorly today," said Carroll. "We have been notorious in the outfield playing the ball to the side and it cost us today. We made some base running mistakes and Lehigh is good enough and took advantage of every opportunity we gave them."
Sophomore Kelsey Krisch (Parker Colo./Council Rock HS North) took the loss in relief for the Broncs, recording one strikeout in four innings.
Junior Sam Bennett (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville) started game one for the Broncs and allowed only one hit in four innings of work with two strikeouts.
"Sam pitched great," Carroll said. "Hindsight being 20-20, maybe we should have kept her in longer until she faced some trouble but Lehigh has a strong lineup and I wanted them to see a different look to throw them off balance."
Rider jumped out to a 5-0 second inning lead in the nightcap, bunching together six hits including a two-run single by junior Jen Steward (Haddon Twp.) and an RBI single from senior Ally Melia (Toms River/Toms River HS North). Melia had three hits and scored twice on the day with Steward collecting two hits and two RBI. Melia was named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Player of the Week for all games played last week earlier in the day.
"Give Lehigh credit," Carroll said. "They battled back and didn't give up when they were down in either game. They kept in it and kept playing. I want Rider to be that type of team. When we are down to battle back and when we take the lead, hold the lead. We can't score five times and then give it right back."
The Mountain Hawks took advantage of three Bronc errors in the top of the third to plate five runs and tie the game.
"Good teams are going to do that," Carroll added. "Every mistake, they (Lehigh) capitalized on. If we are going to compete for a conference title and get to where Lehigh is, we need to do all of the little things right, take ownership of the mistakes, individually and as a team and say 'what can I do better' to help the squad."
The Mountain Hawks scored eight times on eight hits in the fifth inning before senior Derrin Minunni (Cohoes, N.Y./Shaker) got Rider back on the board with an RBI single.
The game was called due to darkness after the fifth inning.
"Good teams make you pay on one or two plays and Lehigh did that," Carroll said. "We need to recognize the things we did poorly and fix them."
Sophomore Rachael Matreale (Williamstown), who was named the MAAC Pitcher of the Week for all games this past week, took the loss, recording two strikeouts in five innings of work.
For Lehigh, Rebecca Bliss pitched twice in relief and picked up both wins.
Also for the Broncs, junior Amanda Centeno (Ventura, Calif./Buena) had four hits and two RBI.
Rider has defeated Lehigh in 28 of the 42 games all-time in a series that started in 1980 with the last Bronc win over the Mountain Hawks in 2008.
Rider hosts former East Coast Conference rival Delaware on Wednesday in a non-conference doubleheader.
"I love that we are playing tough teams," Carroll said. "We won't get better unless we are facing teams that will challenge us and Lehigh did today and Delaware will do that on Wednesday."
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