POUGHKEEPSIE, NY – Shelby Miller (Roseville, CA/Whitney) blasted a pair of Game 2 home runs, but the Rider University softball team was swept at Marist, 7-3 and 5-4, Monday afternoon. With the losses, the Broncs slip to 7-41 (3-13 MAAC), while the Red Foxes maintain their spot atop the league standings at 28-19 (13-3 MAAC).

Marist built a 3-0 lead with a run in the first and two more in the third in Game 1, before the Broncs got two back in the top of the fourth. Grace Stansfield (Philadelphia, PA/William Penn Charter), Elyse Cuttic (Easton, PA/Bethlehem Catholic) and Rachael Zeides (Woodbine, NJ/Ocean City) and hit consecutive one-out singles, before Maddy Chain (Gloucester, NJ/Gloucester City) scored the first Rider run with an RBI double. The second run came in on an error to make it 3-2.

Marist extended its lead with a run in the bottom of the fourth and three more in the bottom of the fifth. Rider got one run back on a solo shot from Cuttic to begin the top of the sixth. But the Broncs could draw no closer as the Red Foxes closed out the 7-3 victory.

Rider took a 1-0 lead in Game 2 on Zeides' leadoff home run in the second inning. In the third, the Broncs tacked on another run, as Brianna Parisio (Sayreville, NJ/Sayreville War Memorial) led off with a double and scored on Lani Moreno's (Claremont, CA/Claremont) RBI single. But the Red Foxes would take the lead, 3-2, on three unearned runs in the bottom of the third following an error with one out.

After Marist tacked on another run in the bottom of the fourth, Shelby Miller (Roseville, CA/Whitney) got the Broncs back to within a run with a solo home run in the fifth. But Marist's Claire Oberdorf followed suit with a solo shot of her own to make it 5-3 Red Foxes after five. Miller's second home run in as many at bats cut the deficit to 5-4 in the top of the seventh and Kelsey Marigliano (Seaford, NY/Plainledge) got on base with a two-out bunt single. But the Broncs couldn't bring her around to score.  

QUOTES & NOTES
"Today was one of our better days this season and I'm happy with how we performed against one of the best teams in the MAAC. Offensively, we were aggressive and saw a lot of pitches and our pitching was effective enough to keep us in both games. If we can maintain consistency with this level of play, we can hopefully end the season on a high note." - Rider Head Coach Davon Ortega

- Debra Jones (Bordentown, NJ/Bordentown) started Game 1 in the circle. She took the loss, allowing three earned runs on six hits over 2.2 innings. She struck out one.
- Emily Oltman (Collegeville, PA/Perkiomen Valley) finished the game with 3.1 innings of relief. She allowed four earned runs on nine hits and a walk, while striking out two.
- Cuttic went the distance in the circle in Game 2. She allowed five runs, two earned, on seven hits and three walks. She struck out six in six innings pitched.  
- With today's results, the Broncs have been eliminated from contention for a MAAC Championship berth.
- The Broncs return to action Wednesday, when they travel to Morgan State for a doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.

BRONCS BY THE NUMBERS
- Marigliano went 5-for-7 on the day with five singles.
- Miller, Zeides and Cuttic each had two hits and two runs scored. The home runs were Zeides' team-leading fourth, Miller's second and third and Cuttic's second of the year.
- In addition to the four runs by the long ball, Chain and Moreno each had one RBI.
- Zeides' RBI pushes her team-leading total to 15 on the year.
- Chain, Stansfield, Moreno and Parisio each had one hit. Parisio also scored a run.