Saturday, March 30, 2019
Rider Broncs (2-20, 0-0 MAAC) vs. Niagara Purple Eagles (1-14, 0-0 MAAC)
Location: Lawrenceville, NJ – Herb and Joan Young Field
First Pitch: 12 p.m.
Live Stats – GoBroncs.com
Twitter – Twitter.com/SoftballRider

Sunday, March 31, 2019
Rider Broncs (2-20, 0-0 MAAC) vs. Canisius Golden Griffins (2-18, 0-0 MAAC)
Location: Lawrenceville, NJ – Herb and Joan Young Field
First Pitch: 12 p.m.
Live Stats – GoBroncs.com
Twitter – Twitter.com/SoftballRider

What You Need To Know
- The Rider Softball team plays its home and MAAC openers this weekend in doubleheaders against Niagara on Saturday and Canisius on Sunday.
- The Broncs enter league play on a high note, having won their last game, 5-2, at Penn on Wednesday.
- Freshman pitcher Brooklyn Trujillo has impressed early, collecting both of the Broncs victories in the circle and all five of their complete games so far this season.
- Melanie Wilkinson had a two-game stretch to remember on March 24 at Central Connecticut. The sophomore went 3-for-5 with three home runs and nine RBI's. Entering the game through parts of two seasons, Wilkinson had totaled just one home run and 13 RBI's over 60 games played.
- Sam Ward paces the Broncs with a .265 batting average and six runs scored. Her six runs are matched by Kelsey Marigliano, Lani Moreno and Grace Stansfield.
- Marigliano has stolen three bases and the Broncs are a perfect 9-for-9 in stolen-base attempts this season. Moreno had a pair of thefts, while Rachael Zeides, Stansfield, Gianna Epps, and Brianna Parisio have one stolen base each.
- The Broncs were picked 10^th in the MAAC Preseason Coaches Poll and Elyse Cuttic was named a Preseason All-MAAC honoree. Cuttic earned All-MAAC Second Team in 2018 as DP.
- A year ago against Canisius and Niagara, Rider enjoyed its most-successful Western New York road trip since 2004, going 2-2 on April 29 and 30, splitting with both teams. The Broncs had been swept in the four games or only won one game in the prior six trips. In 2004, the Broncs won three of four.  
- Niagara leads the all-time series, 27-19, while Canisius owns a 33-15 edge.
- Both the Purple Eagles and Golden Griffins will face defending league champion Monmouth a day before heading to Lawrenceville, with a Friday doubleheader set for Niagara and a Saturday twinbill for Canisius.
- Maggie Vesneske leads Niagara with a .281 average, while Tara Driver has hit .250. Jerri Ann Orfano has driven in a team-high seven runs, while Kelsey Harrigan's six runs scored lead the team.
- The Purple Eagles have used six pitchers this season. Sierra Bertrand has pitched a team-high 32.2 innings and maintains a 6.34 ERA with 32 strikeouts. Karsen Cotton has started a team-high seven games, while Emily Johnson has posted a 0.69 ERA in 13.0 innings of relief.
- Canisius has a pair of players hitting for extremely high averages in Erin Hufford (.382) and Kara Paradowski (.379). Paradowski leads the Griffs with 13 runs scored, while Hufford has 10. Brittany Sockwell has hit a team-best three home runs and driven in 13. The Griffs like to run, with success on 38-of-43 stolen-base attempts, including 21-of-22 from Paradowski.
- Emily Nicosia has a team-high 12 appearances and seven starts in the circle for Canisius, posting a 4.23 ERA.