College Softball
Army West Point 3, Rider University 1
Army West Point 11, Rider University 2 / 5 innings

LAWRENCEVILLE—The Rider University softball team was swept in a non-conference doubleheader by Army West Point on Saturday afternoon at Herb and Joan Young Field.

The Black Knights took the doubleheader 3-1 in the opener and 11-2 in the second game behind an 18-hit attack.

“We can get the hits but they aren't coming with runners in scoring position and when we do have runners on base, we don't execute,” said head coach Jaci Timko.  “We can make some things happen when we get runners on but we really still need that one key hit to break games open.”

The games were originally scheduled for Sunday but were moved up due to the impending weather expected to impact the area.

In the opener, trailing 3-0 in the bottom of the sixth inning, Rider (1-16) senior Emily Cottrell (Beachwood/Toms River HS South) worked a bases loaded walk, scoring senior Dana Sensi (Allentown) who reached on a single to center field for the only Bronc run of the game.  Rider left the bases loaded in that inning and left six on base in the game.

“We are looking to have solid at-bats and get good pitches to hit,” Timko added.  “I think we are putting too much pressure on ourselves to execute that and get the job done.”

Army West Point (14-11) led off the top of the first inning with a single and followed with an RBI double to take a 1-0 lead and the Black Knights used a home run, single and Rider throwing error to plate two runs in the top of the third inning.

Sophomore Kaitlyn Kallert (Woodland Park/Passaic Valley) went the first three innings for Rider, allowing four hits and three runs, two earned with junior Delany DeMello (Roseville, Calif./Roseville) pitching four scoreless innings, allowing only two hits while recording five strikeouts.

Sophomore Toni Nino (Adelanto, Calif./Silverado) and senior Kim Valdes (Jupiter, Fla./King's Academy) also had hits for Rider in the opener with Valdes hitting a double in the fourth inning.

In the first inning of the second game, Army West Point had its first six batters reach base safely and the Black Knights put five runs on the board to open up an early lead.

In the bottom of the first inning, Valdes hit her second double of the day, scoring junior Josettee Spencer (Hillsborough) who reached on a bunt single and Sensi who singled to left field, cutting the Bronc deficit to 5-2.

Valdes is now up to 91 career hits.

Spencer and Sensi each had two hits in the second game with Sensi recording three hits in the doubleheader, raising her career total to 162, 17th best all-time at Rider.

The Black Knights scored on an RBI double in the second inning to take a 6-2 lead and used five hits to score three runs in the top of the fourth inning, increasing their lead to seven runs.

Army West Point used three more hits to score twice in the top of the fifth inning, ending the contest early on the mercy rule.

Junior Megan Ailand (Burlingame, Calif./Burlingame) threw all five innings for Rider, allowing 11 earned runs.

Also for Rider, junior Amanda Crimarco (Levittown, N.Y./Kellenberg) had a single.

The Broncs have lost six straight.

The Black Knights had a familiar face on the bench as Rider grad Gina McCool (Marlton/Cherokee) is in her first season as an assistant coach.

McCool, who batted .326 as a senior in 2015, graduated as a 193-game veteran at shortstop and her 147 hits were tied for 23rd best all-time at Rider.

Army West Point improved to 20-14 all-time against Rider and the Black Knights have won six in a row in the series.  The teams last met during the 2014 season in West Point, New York with Army prevailing 10-2 and 9-1.  In 2013, the Black Knights won twice in Lawrenceville 11-3 and 4-2 after Rider prevailed at the Rebel Spring Games 4-3 on a walk off RBI single by Sensi, after the Broncs trailed 3-1 entering the bottom of the seventh inning.

Rider travels to Fairleigh Dickinson University on Wednesday for a non-conference doubleheader and the Broncs return home to face the University of Pennsylvania on Saturday, March 26 in a doubleheader, beginning at 1pm.

-RU-