College Softball
Rider University 8, University of Pennsylvania 3
University of Pennsylvania 6, Rider University 4
Eckett Two Home Runs on the Day
PHILADELPHIA, Pa.—The Rider University softball team split a non-conference doubleheader at Penn Saturday afternoon.
For
Rider (4-14) in the opener, senior Amanda Centeno (Ventura,
Calif./Buena) had two hits including a double with senior Brittany
Eckett (Jackson/Jackson Memorial) launching her first home run of the
season.
“Centeno and Eckett, they are the two bats in the lineup that setup everyone else,” said head coach Tricia Carroll. “How they do is very important. If those two are hitting from the three and four spots, it helps everyone else in the order. It helps them see pitches.”
Junior Rachael Matreale (Williamstown) threw a complete game with seven strikeouts for the win, her third of the season.
“Rachael pitched great,” Carroll said. “She has one shaky inning where they hit the ball hard but she calmed down and threw well.”
The Broncs jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the third inning on a Centeno RBI single, fielder's choice RBI and a double steal.
Rider made it 6-0 in the fifth on a Centeno RBI double and an RBI single by sophomore Sam Pugh (Elkton, Md./Elkton).
Penn
got three back in the bottom of the fifth on five hits before Rider
scored twice in the seventh on Eckett's solo home run and an RBI double
by junior Lucy Higgins (Westminster, Mass./Notre Dame Academy) for the
final score.
In the nightcap, Penn broke a 4-4 tie with two runs in the bottom of the sixth to gain the split.
For the Broncs, sophomore Alyssa Paul (Toms River/Toms River HS East) went three for three with Eckett adding two hits.
Freshman Lisa Blanton (Hillard, Fla./Hillard) had two hits and two RBI in the second game.
Penn took a 1-0 lead in the first on a triple and sacrifice fly.
Rider tied it in the second on an RBI single from Blanton.
The Quakers took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the second on three hits, an error and a passed ball.
Higgins
and Blanton each had RBI singles in the fourth as Rider tied the game
at three and the Broncs took a 4-3 lead in the fifth when Eckett hit her
second home run of the day and 21st of her career.
The
Quakers tied it at four on a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth
and scored twice in the sixth on a two-run single with two outs.
“We had a chance at the play up the middle when Penn took the 6-4 lead,” Carroll remembered. “It would have been a tough play. We had a couple of situations earlier in the game where we didn't get a bunt down. You never know when a little thing like that will make a difference.”
Senior
Sam Bennett (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville) took the loss in relief
of junior Kelsey Krisch (Parker, Colo./Council Rock HS North). Krisch worked the first three innings, scattering four hits. Bennett worked the last three innings, allowing three hits and recording one strikeout.
Rider
and Penn last met on March 25, 2006 when the Broncs won the opener 3-2
before losing 12-2 to the Quakers in a doubleheader at Rider. The Broncs lead the all-time series 9-8.
Rider
opens the home portion of the 2011 schedule with a doubleheader against
Army on Sunday at 1pm at Herb and Joan Young Field on the Lawrenceville
campus.
“We are excited to come home,” Carroll added. “A lot of what we have battled this year is convincing ourselves that we can play with anyone. We
won't see a team like Arizona until an NCAA Regional so that means
everyone else on the schedule is someone that we can be competitive
against. We could have easily swept today or Penn could have won both and that is the same for the Army games. We should be able to battle against the remaining opponents on our schedule; no team is that much better than the other.”
-RU-
