College Softball
Niagara University 12, Rider University 0 / 6 innings
Niagara University 12, Rider University 4
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
LAWRENCEVILLE—The Rider University softball team was swept
in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference doubleheader on Sunday at Herb and Joan
Young Field.
“This was disappointing,” said head coach Tricia Carroll. “I know we've had injuries and
don't have the players that we thought we would have at the beginning of the
season but I think we have more talent on this team than we showed today. The effort didn't seem to be there.”
In the nightcap, senior Jen Steward (Haddon Twp.) and
sophomore Alyssa Paul (Toms River/Toms River HS East) each had two hits with
Paul scoring twice for Rider (6-25, 1-7 MAAC).
Trailing 2-0, the Broncs tied the game on an RBI double by
Paul followed by an RBI single from junior Lucy Higgins (Westminster,
Mass./Notre Dame Academy).
Niagara took a 6-2 lead in the top of the third on four hits
before the Broncs plated two runs in the bottom of the inning on a Purple Eagle
dropped fly ball.
Niagara scored once in the fourth, twice in the sixth and
three times in the seventh for the final score.
Freshman Krysti Maronski (Woodbury Heights/GCIT) went the distance,
recording three strikeouts.
In the opener, Rider was held to three hits, one each by
Paul, Steward and senior Amanda Centeno (Ventura, Calif./Buena) in the 12-0
loss.
Junior Rachael Matreale (Williamstown) recorded eight
strikeouts but allowed seven walks in six innings of work for the Broncs.
“I can't make the players play with effort,” Carroll
said. “This is conference play and we
need to show up and we didn't. Niagara
is a good hitting team and I think they have a good chance to win the
conference. We need to decide that we
are good ball players who can play. I
want to see more fight.”
Niagara blanked Rider twice last season (8-0, 12-0) at
Niagara and the Purple Eagles have won 17 of the 32 games in the series. The teams split in Lawrenceville in 2009 with
Niagara winning 5-1 in the opener and Rider 3-1 in the nightcap.
“We talk all the time about playing every pitch and winning
every pitch and we didn't do that,” Carroll added. “Niagara is too good of a team to give second
and third chances and they took advantage of every extra chance we gave them.”
Rider hosts Lafayette on Tuesday at 3pm in the makeup of a
non-conference doubleheader that was rained out March 23.
-RU-
