LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – Elena Gonzalez (Ashburn, VA/Stone Bridge) contributed four hits, three RBI's and two runs scored as the Rider University softball team split with Quinnipiac, falling in Game 1, 7-5, before bouncing back with an 8-5 win in Game 2. With the split, Rider and Quinnipiac are both 1-1.

In Game 1, the Broncs led, 2-0, through four innings with single runs in the first and third innings. The Broncs' first run came home on a wild pitch, before a dropped fly ball allowed the second. Quinnipiac scored six of its seven runs in the fifth, scoring all six with two outs. A bloop single scored the first, followed by a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch and a three-run error. The sixth scored on an RBI single. Rider responded with Gonzalez and Jessie Niegocki (Marana, AZ/Mountain View) RBI singles to cut to within two in the bottom of the fifth.

Both teams scored one run in the sixth, with Kelsey Marigliano (Seaford, NY/Plainledge) contributing an RBI single for the Broncs. Rider put the tying run on second with two outs in the seventh, but Quinnipiac first baseman Brighid Douglas snared a hot shot off the bat of Melanie Wilkinson to close out the Quinnipiac victory.

All the scoring came in the first four innings of Game 2, with Quinnipiac immediately scoring twice in the first on bases-loaded walks. Rider countered with Gonzalez's RBI single. A throwing error in the top of the second gave Quinnipiac a 3-1 lead before Chaela Crowder's (Simi Valley, CA/Simi Valley) two-out, pinch-hit, bases-clearing double gave Rider a 4-3 lead after two. Gonzalez made it a two-run Rider lead, leading off with a single, stealing second and scoring on two wild pitches. Quinnipiac tied the game with a two-run single from Katherine Rodriguez in the fourth, before Rider scored three in the bottom half of the inning to win it. Marigliano singled, stole second and scored on a pair of wild pitches. Gonzalez followed with an RBI triple and Niegocki capped the scoring with an RBI single.   

Quotes & Notes
"I like how we came out aggressive and stayed together as a team today. We worked through situations and fought back when we were down, which is something we haven't been able to accomplish in the past. Our goal is to get better and find some consistency tomorrow." – Rider Head Coach Davon Ortega

- Rider got a pair of complete-game efforts in the circle from Debra Jones (Bordentown, NJ/Bordentown) in Game 1 and Brooklyn Trujillo-Quintana (Henderson, CO/Prairie View) in Game 2.
- Jones allowed seven runs, three earned, on seven hits and five walks in Game 1. She struck out five.
- Trujillo-Quintana allowed five runs, four earned, on five hits and five walks in earning the win. She struck out three.  
- Rider was playing its first game in 377 days and its first home game in 685 days.
- The Broncs return to action Sunday, when they complete their four-game series with Quinnipiac with a doubleheader. First pitch of Game 1 is scheduled for noon.   
 
Broncs by the Numbers
- Gonzalez led Rider with a 4-for-7 day at the plate, including a triple, three RBI's and two runs scored.
- Kaitlin Vazquez (Howell, NJ/Donavan Catholic), Niegocki and Marigliano each added three hits. Niegocki drove in two, while Marigliano had one RBI.
- Marigliano scored a team-high three runs, while Alyssa Ansara (Waterville, OH/Anthony Wayne), Wilkinson and Trujillo-Quintana scored twice each.