GREENVILLE, NC – The Rider University softball team jumped out to an early lead and Laneya Wright's (Tucson, AZ/Marana) fourth-inning grand slam pushed the Broncs to an 8-0 mercy-rule-shortened five-inning win at East Carolina Monday morning. With the win, the Broncs are now 8-6, while the Pirates dip to 11-11.

The Broncs plated three runs in the top of the first with Jessie Niegocki (Marana, AZ/Mountain View) and Amanda Cooper (Huntsville, TX/Huntsville) getting things started with consecutive singles. The pair moved up to second and third on an error on Cooper's base hit, allowing Elena Gonzalez (Ashburn, VA/Stone Bridge) to push Niegocki across with a groundout. Cooper crossed the plate on a wild pitch, while Wright doubled home Grace Stansfield (Philadelphia, PA/William Penn Charter) to make it 3-0 Broncs after a half inning.

From there, it was all Niegocki in the circle. She pitched around a walk and a single in the first, before striking out the side in the second and not giving up another hit until there were two out in the fifth. Meanwhile, the Broncs' offense erupted again in the fourth. Gianna Epps (Pottstown, PA/Pottstown) and Niegocki led off the inning with singles, before Gonzalez scored one with a one-out single up the middle. Stansfield singled to load the bases, before East Carolina opted for a relief pitcher. Wright greeted Addy Bullis rudely, blasting a grand slam over the left-center field fence for an 8-0 Rider lead.

The support was more than enough for Niegocki, who allowed the two-out single in the fifth, but that was all, ending the game after five.
 
Notes
- Niegocki went the distance in the circle, pitching a complete-game, two-hit shutout. She allowed just two hits and three walks, while striking out nine in 5.0 innings pitched.
- The Broncs return to action Friday, when they begin play in the Penn State Softball Invitational against Cornell at 3:30 p.m. The Broncs will face UMass Lowell (11 a.m.) and Cornell (6:30 p.m.) on Saturday, before closing out the tournament with UMass Lowell (12:30 p.m.) and the Nittany Lions (5:30 p.m.) on Sunday.

Broncs by the Numbers
- On the five-game tournament, Rider scored 52 runs on 68 hits, 12 walks and two hit-by-pitches. The Broncs posted a 3-2 record, with only a pair of one-run losses to ECU blemishing their mark.
- Stansfield went 3-for-3 with two runs scored Monday.
- Wright went 2-for-3 with a double, a grand slam, five RBI's and a run scored.
- Niegocki helped her own cause with two hits and two runs scored.
- Kristyn Gardner (Perryville, MD/Perryville) produced her first multi-hit game with a 2-for-3 effort.
- Gonzalez went 1-for-3 with two RBI's and a run scored.
- Epps and Cooper both singled and scored a run.
- All nine Rider starters reached base safely in the five innings, with Brianna Koonce (Warminster, PA/William Tennent) drawing a walk.