HAMPTON, VA – Gianna Epps (Pottstown, PA/Pottstown), Jessie Niegocki (Marana, AZ/Mountain View) and Olivia Burroughs (Escondido, CA/San Pasqual) contributed four hits apiece Sunday as the Rider University softball team split a pair of games against UMass Lowell and Hampton to close out the Spartan-Pirate Clash. The Broncs fell to the River Hawks, 3-0, before bouncing back with an 11-8 win over the Pirates. Rider is now 5-4 on the year, while UMass Lowell moved to 8-5 and Hampton is now 9-10.

Five different Broncs produced one hit each against UMass Lowell, but Rider couldn't manage a run against River Hawks pitcher Jennifer Slanovec, who hurled a complete-game shutout with one walk and three strikeouts. A scoreless game through five, the River Hawks got a two-run home run in the sixth and tacked on a run on a wild pitch in the seventh for the final 3-0 score.

The game against Hampton was a seesaw affair that saw the Broncs score single runs in the second and third innings to take a 2-0 lead, before the Pirates evened the score with two in the bottom of the third. Rider retook the lead, 3-2, with a single run in the top of the fifth, before the Pirates surged ahead with three in the bottom of the frame. Trailing 5-3, the Broncs plated three runs in the top of the sixth on a two-run double from Elena Gonzalez (Ashburn, VA/Stone Bridge), before the junior catcher scored on a Grace Stansfield (Philadelphia, PA/William Penn Charter) groundout to put Rider on top, 6-5.

The Pirates tied the game at 6-6 on a run-scoring double in the bottom of the sixth, before Rider erupted for five runs in the top of the seventh. Laneya Wright (Tucson, AZ/Marana) got the scoring started with a two-run double, before Niegocki's single brought her home. A Stansfield fielder's choice and Lani Moreno's (Claremont, CA/Claremont) sacrifice fly pushed across the final two runs, making it 11-6 heading to the bottom of the seventh. An RBI single for Hampton and an error made it an 11-8 game, before Brooklyn Trujillo-Quintana (Henderson, CO/Prairie View) induced a popout in foul ground to end the game.
 
Quotes & Notes
"We worked through a lot of self-inflicted adversity today. Although our bats took a while to wake up, we got two great pitching performances from Brooklyn and we were able to fight and get a win out of the day. This is huge growth for this program and overall, it was a successful weekend." – Rider Head Coach Davon Ortega

- Trujillo-Quintana started Game 1 and finished Game 2, taking the decisions in both games. Together, she went 8.2 innings, allowing five runs, two earned, on seven hits and three walks, while striking out four.
- Kathryn Schmierer (Racine, WI/Racine Lutheran) started the second game in the circle, allowing two earned runs on two hits and four walks, while striking out two.
- Niegocki came on in relief, allowing four runs, two earned, on seven hits and two walks over 3.0 innings pitched. She struck out three.
- The Broncs return to action Friday, when they begin play at the Purple-Gold Invitational, hosted by East Carolina in Greenville, NC. The Broncs start the weekend with a 1:30 p.m. first pitch against Bryant on Friday.  

Broncs by the Numbers
- Epps, Niegocki and Burroughs each had four hits on the day, with one hit each in the first game and three each in the second. All three had one RBI on the day, while Niegocki and Burroughs each scored twice.  
- Chaela Crowder (Simi Valley, CA/Simi Valley), Kellie Ervin (Buford, GA/Mountain View), Wright, Moreno and Gonzalez added two hits apiece.
- Ervin's two hits were her first as a Bronc.
- Wright scored twice and drove in two.
- Gonzalez doubled, homered, drove in three and scored a run.
- Stansfield added a hit and two RBI's, while Amanda Cooper (Huntsville, TX/Huntsville) singled and scored a run.