BUFFALO, NY – Elena Gonzalez (Ashburn, VA/Stone Bridge), Brianna Koonce (Warminster, PA/William Tennent) and Jessie Niegocki (Marana, AZ/Mountain View) had three hits each and Anna-Marie Groskritz (Granby, CT/Granby Memorial) went the distance in Game 1 without allowing an earned run as the seventh-seeded Rider University softball team split the first two games of its MAAC Championship opening series at second-seeded Canisius Saturday afternoon. The Broncs took Game 1, 4-3, before falling in Game 2, 4-2. The split sets up a winner-take-all Game 3 to decide which team moves on to next week's four-team double-elimination tournament. The Broncs are now 17-19, while the Griffs moved to 23-12.

In Game 1, the Griffs jumped out to a 3-0 lead with three runs in the bottom of the third. A walk, a pair of errors and two RBI singles accounted for three unearned runs, before the Broncs immediately answered back with three of their own in the top of the fourth to tie the game. Elena Gonzalez (Ashburn, VA/Stone Bridge) and Grace Stansfield (Philadelphia, PA/William Penn Charter) set the table with singles before Jessie Niegocki (Marana, AZ/Mountain View) sat back on an off-speed pitch to double to right center, scoring Gonzalez. With runners on second and third, Chaela Crowder (Simi Valley, CA/Simi Valley) similarly stayed planted on an off-speed offering and served it into shallow right for a two-run single.

The Broncs added a run in the top of the fifth on three-straight hits from Kelsey Marigliano (Seaford, NY/Plainedge), Gonzalez and Lani Moreno (Claremont, CA/Claremont). Moreno doubled to the right-center gap with two outs to plate Gonzalez from first and give Rider a 4-3 lead and chase Canisius starting pitcher Alexis Churchill from the game. The support would be all Groskritz would need in the circle as she closed out the victory.

In Game 2, Canisius grabbed the lead in the first as Erin Hufford walked, stole second, took third on a groundout and scored on sacrifice fly. The Broncs evened the score on a tape-measure shot from Brianna Koonce (Warminster, PA/William Tennent) to begin the third and took a 2-1 lead on Koonce's RBI single to score Niegocki in the fourth. But Canisius would respond in the fifth with three runs on four hits to take a 4-2 lead. Megan Giese came on to pitch the final two innings scoreless, limiting the Broncs to one hit, for the save.
 
Notes
- Rider made its first MAAC Championship appearances since 2006 today. The Broncs qualified for the MAAC Championships for the fourth time in program history.
- Groskritz didn't allow an earned run in Game 1, allowing just three unearned tallies on four hits and two walks over 7.0 innings. She matched her season high with seven strikeouts.  
- Debra Jones (Bordentown, NJ/Bordentown) took the loss in Game 2, allowing four earned runs on eight hits and three walks in 6.0 innings. She struck out three.
- The Broncs and Griffs will play the decisive Game 3 tomorrow at 11 a.m.
- If Canisius wins, it would host the remainder of the MAAC Championships, to be played this coming Thursday through Sunday.
- If the Broncs win, they'd head to a tournament hosted by either third-seeded Iona, if the Gaels were to win their Game 3 tomorrow, or fourth-seeded Fairfield, which swept the first two games of its opening series with fifth-seeded Siena.

Broncs by the Numbers
- Gonzalez, Koonce and Niegocki each had three hits on the day.
- Niegocki doubled twice, scored twice and drove in one.
- Koonce homered and drove in two.
- Gonzalez doubled and scored twice.
- Crowder added two hits and two RBI's.
- Moreno, Stansfield, Marigliano and Alyssa Ansara (Waterville, OH/Anthony Wayne) also chipped in with one hit each.
- Moreno doubled home a run and Stansfield scored a run.