Wednesday, April 10, 2019
Rider Broncs (5-27, 2-4 MAAC) vs. Lehigh Mountain Hawks (12-21, 4-5 Patriot)
Location: Lawrenceville, NJ – Herb and Joan Young Field
First Pitch: 2:30 p.m.
Live Video (Game 1) – ESPN3
Live Video (Game 2) – ESPN3
Live Stats – GoBroncs.com
Twitter – Twitter.com/SoftballRider

What You Need To Know
- The Rider Softball team returns to action Wednesday, when it plays host to Lehigh in a non-conference doubleheader. The games will be broadcast live on ESPN3.
- Rider Head Coach Davon Ortega was a four-year starter in the Lehigh middle infield from 1999-2002. During the 2001 season, Ortega helped lead Lehigh to its first-ever NCAA Division I Regional tournament appearance where the Mountain Hawks faced the reigning national champion Oklahoma Sooners. During the regional tournament, Lehigh also picked up their first win in NCAA regional play, shutting out Seton Hall.
- Rider won its last game against Monmouth to earn a split over the defending league champions, the Hawks' first loss of the conference slate in eight games.
- Elyse Cuttic hit a team-best .350 over six games last week. The 2018 All-MAAC Second Team selection doubled, drove in three and scored twice to spark the Broncs.
- Brooklyn Trujillo bounced back from a rough outing Saturday at Wagner to pitch admirably on Sunday against league-leading Monmouth. She limited the Hawks to just three runs, two earned, on eight hits and three walks over 10.1 innings pitched. She picked up a complete-game victory, her team-leading third win of the year, in Game 2.
- The Broncs have found success against Ivy League foes, posting wins against Penn and Princeton.
- Sophomore pitcher Debra Jones spun a gem in the circle on April 3 at Princeton, allowing just one earned run on four hits without walking a batter. She struck out six. She won two games in a three-appearance stretch, including a relief stint in which she hurled 2.2 perfect innings against Niagara.  
- 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.
- Kelsey Marigliano leads current Broncs with a .278 average, 13 runs scored and three stolen bases.
- The Broncs were successful on their first nine stolen-base attempts of the season. Marigliano has stolen three bases, while Lani Moreno and Grace Stansfield have a pair of thefts. Rachael Zeides, 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.
- Rider owns a 30-21 edge in the all-time series against Lehigh. However, the Mountain Hawks have won the last six dating back to a split in 2012 in which the Broncs took the opener and Lehigh salvaged a split. Lehigh swept doubleheaders in 2014 and 2018 and won a single game in 2013.
- Lehigh won its last time out, taking Game 3 of a Patriot League series at Boston University to prevent a Terriers' sweep.
- Wednesday's doubleheader will represent the Mountain Hawks' first competition against a MAAC opponent this season.
- Jaelynn Chesson leads Lehigh's offense with a .404 average, four home runs, nine doubles, 16 RBI's and 14 runs scored. Mary-Hannah Smith is another dangerous offensive weapon, hitting .352 with 13 runs scored and 13 RBI's. Ashley Rabago must be accounted for on the basepaths, where she's stolen 11 bases in 14 attempts. Carley Barjaktaravich has also stolen nine bases in 11 attempts for the Mountain Hawks, who are 38-of-50 on the season.
- Parker Boyd is the Mountain Hawks' top pitcher with a 7-8 record and a 3.14 ERA. She's struck out 92 batters in 98.0 innings. Gabriella Nori has also found success in the circle with four wins and 81 strikeouts in 78.1 innings pitched.