College Softball
Rider University 8, Saint Peter's College 0
(5 innings)
Saint Peter's College 2, Rider University 1
Matreale Second Career No-Hitter in Game One
LAWRENCEVILLE--Behind a five inning no-hitter from senior Rachael Matreale (Williamstown), the Rider University softball team split a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference doubleheader against Saint Peter's College on Saturday afternoon at Herb and Joan Young Field.
Matreale recorded a career-high 13 strikeouts in the opener with the only base runner coming on a strikeout and wild pitch. Matreale retired the first 11 Peahens to start the game.
"Rachael did great," said head coach Tricia Carroll. "We had the chance to win both games."
"I just tried to move the ball around," Matreale said. "Saint Peter's hasn't won too many games but they are a strong hitting team. My changeup, I was trying to keep it low and in the dirt and that was effective for me."
"Rachael is playing with poise, composure and confidence," Carroll said. "She is a senior and is pitching like a senior. She is doing her part to keep us in games."
In Matreale's last 18 games, she has compiled a 12-5 record with a 1.51 earned run average, recording 130 strikeouts in 125 1/3 innings pitched.
Junior Sam Pugh (Elkton, Md./Elkton) hit her second home run of the season, a three-run shot to right field, putting Rider (13-20-1, 3-1 MAAC) ahead 3-0 in the first inning.
Junior Alyssa Paul (Toms River/Toms River HS East) hit a sacrifice fly in the second inning and a walk and infield single by sophomore Kehli Washington (Lulea, Sweden/New Rochelle) gave the Broncs a six-run lead after three innings. Washington was two for two in game one.
In the fifth inning, junior Heather Muscara (North Bellmore, N.Y./Mepham) hit an RBI double and sophomore Krysti Maronski (Woodbury Heights/GCIT) worked a bases loaded walk to end the game on the eight run mercy rule. Muscara was three for three in the opener.
Despite seven strikeouts and no walks, Matreale was the hard luck losing pitcher in the second game as Rider committed four errors, leading to a critical unearned run for Saint Peter's (4-25, 1-1 MAAC) in the 2-1 game.
The Peahens took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on a squeeze play and used two errors and a two out RBI double down the right field line to open up a 2-0 advantage in the third inning.
Rider senior Samantha Mayer (Neptune) hit a two out RBI single to right field, scoring senior Lucy Higgins (Westminster, Mass./Notre Dame Academy) who had singled earlier in the inning to cut the deficit to 2-1 but that was as close as the Broncs would get.
"We hit the ball hard in the second game," Matreale said. "Saint Peter's made some nice plays in the field but we didn't do what we needed to do to score runs. We didn't make things happen in the second game."
"Holding Saint Peter's to only two runs on the day is pretty good," Carroll added. "We needed to make plays in the second game and score more than one run and we didn't get the job done."
The Broncs were held to four hits and made the same amount of errors (four) in the field.
"Even with the defensive issues, we held Saint Peter's to two runs and didn't turn the mistakes into a five or six run inning," Carroll said. "We gave ourselves a chance to win the game and didn't finish the job."
"Pitching both games, I knew I wouldn't record 13 strikeouts again so it was important for the defense to make the plays behind me," said Matreale. "We made some great plays and missed a few but all season, the defense has been really solid and today we needed to be a little sharper."
A three-time MAAC Pitcher of the Week honoree, Matreale had 20 strikeouts on the day and now has 518 strikeouts in her Rider career. Current pitching coach Heather Beintema is the Bronc career strikeout leader with 726 from 2003-06.
"I'm looking to get a bunch more," Matreale said about eclipsing the 500K plateau.
"The 500K milestone is amazing," Carroll said. "Good for Rachael and more importantly good for us. The strikeouts are less plays that put pressure on the defense. Thirteen times in the opening game, we didn't have to do anything."
This was Rider's 14th no-hitter all-time and the second in Matreale's career. Matreale blanked Marist on April 10, 2010 recording two strikeouts (and five walks) in an 8-0 MAAC win. The last non-Matreale no-hitter was by Beintema on May 1, 2004 in a MAAC game at Niagara, recording nine strikeouts with one walk.
Rider and Saint Peter's last met on April 2, 2011 in Jersey City with the teams splitting the MAAC doubleheader. The Peahens won the opener 2-1 with the Broncs rebounding in the nightcap 6-0.
Rider swept Saint Peter's to open conference play in 2010 and overall the Broncs have won 28 of the 49 games in the series.
The Broncs are 3-1 in MAAC play, the best start since a 4-0 beginning to the MAAC schedule in 2010. "I think we let a game get away," Matreale said. "We had the opportunity to be 4-0 in the conference and we didn't do it."
"On every level, you have what should have happened," Carroll said. "The fact is that you don't play the games on paper, you have to execute on the field and we didn't do that in the second game. We now have to make up for that and get a game that maybe 'on paper' we shouldn't win. The conference is wide open and I think we have a team with enough talent to contend for the playoffs."
Rider travels to Stony Brook on Monday for a 2pm non-conference doubleheader.
"We are hoping that playing the tough non-conference games (Stony Brook, Lehigh, UNC-Greensboro, George Mason, Delaware), we are getting positive things out of those games so that we are better in the MAAC games," said Carroll. "We have to go through the MAAC to get to post-season and these games coming up get us ready for that. I think we can be a good team."
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