WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – Anna-Marie Groskritz (Granby, CT/Granby Memorial) pitched a complete game with seven strikeouts in Game 2 as the Rider University softball team split at hOURglass Rival Monmouth Wednesday afternoon. With the split, Rider (13-15) snapped Monmouth's (21-7) nine-game winning streak.

Monmouth struck first in Game 1 with a two-run home run from Julia Thuer in the second, before Rider countered with two runs in the top of the third. The first came home on a Brianna Koonce (Warminster, PA/William Tennent) hot shot off the first-base bag with the bases loaded. A wild pitch with the bases loaded plated the tying run. The Hawks immediately followed with an Erika Coreth solo shot in the bottom of the third to retake a 3-2 lead. Rider put at least one baserunner on in each of the final four innings, but couldn't push one across and fell by the same 3-2 final score.

The Broncs built a 3-0 lead in Game 2 on single runs in the first, fourth and fifth innings. A pair of errors allowed Alyssa Ansara (Waterville, OH/Anthony Wayne) to score in the first, before Rider manufactured a run on a Koonce single, Kaitlin Vazquez (Howell, NJ/Donovan Catholic) sacrifice bunt and Kennedy Jarrard (Carlsbad, CA/Carlsbad) RBI single in the fourth. In the fifth, Elena Gonzalez's (Ashburn, VA/Stone Bridge) fly ball to the track was dropped, leaving her on second base for Lani Moreno (Claremont, CA/Claremont), who singled up the middle to plate the Broncs' third run.

The Hawks got a run back in the bottom of the sixth on a two-out RBI double off the left-field wall from Devin Coia. But that was all Groskritz would allow in a complete-game effort.

Quotes & Notes
"I'm proud of how this team came ready to play today. We came out strong, played two good games and had two great pitching performances. We showed what we're capable of today when we stick together as a team. This is great momentum to carry us into the weekend." – Rider Head Coach Davon Ortega

- With today's split and results around the MAAC, Rider has clinched its first MAAC Tournament berth since 2006 and the fourth bid in the school's 24-year history in the league.
- This year's MAAC Tournament will be an eight-team field, with a first-round series being played at the higher seed. The four winners will move on to the highest-remaining seed's home site for a double-elimination tournament.
- Debra Jones (Bordentown, NJ/Bordentown) went the distance in Game 1, allowing three earned runs on four hits and two walks, while striking out two.
- Groskritz limited the Hawks to one earned run on eight hits and two walks in the 7.0 inning effort, striking out seven.  
- The Broncs return to action this weekend when they travel to Canisius for a pair of doubleheaders. Both days' first pitches are scheduled for noon.  

Broncs by the Numbers
- Koonce went 3-for-4 on the afternoon, while also reaching on a walk and a hit-by-pitch. She drove in one and score once.
- Moreno went 4-for-8 with an RBI.
- Jarrard and Gonzalez chipped in with two hits apiece, with Gonzalez also scoring twice. Jarrard had one RBI.
- Chaela Crowder (Simi Valley, CA/Simi Valley), Jessie Niegocki (Marana, AZ/Mountain View), Grace Stansfield (Philadelphia, PA/William Penn Charter) and Kelsey Marigliano (Seaford, NY/Plainedge) had one hit each.