TEANECK, NJ – The Rider University softball team's pitching staff held the opposition without an earned run for the fourth-straight game and 11 different Broncs had a base hit as RU swept Fairleigh Dickinson on the road Wednesday, 3-0 and 9-0 (5 innings). With the sweep, the Broncs (22-12) have won five straight, while the losses drop FDU to 16-17.
The Broncs struck first for two runs in the top of the first of Game 1.
Alyssa Ansara (Waterville, OH/Anthony Wayne) and
Amanda Cooper (Huntsville, TX/Huntsville) reached on a single and a walk, respectively, before moving to second and third on a double steal. An error on
Grace Stansfield's (Philadelphia, PA/William Penn Charter) at bat allowed Ansara to score, before an Elene Gonzalez (Ashburn, VA/Stone Bridge) sacrifice fly scored Cooper to make it 2-0. After four scoreless frames, the Broncs tacked on a run in the sixth, as
Lani Moreno (Claremont, CA/Claremont) tripled and scored on a
Chaela Crowder (Simi Valley, CA/Simi Valley) groundout. The support would be more than enough for starting pitcher
Anna-Marie Groskritz (Granby, CT/Granby Memorial), who pitched a complete-game, four-hit shutout.
In Game 2, the Broncs again jumped out to a lead, scoring single runs in the first and second innings.
Kellie Ervin (Buford, GA/Mountain View) singled with one out, moved to second on a groundout and scored on Stansfield's two-out RBI single to left. In the second,
Kaitlin Vazquez (Howell, NJ/Donovan Catholic [Brookdale C.C.]) led off with a single, was sacrificed to second and scored on
Chelsea Weatherford's (Wixom, MI/White Lake Lakeland) first-career hit and RBI, a single to center to make it 2-0.
The Broncs' scoring continued with four runs in the third, as Moreno reached on an error to start the inning before three-straight singles from Stansfield, Crowder and Vazquez to plate the first run.
Brianna Koonce (Warminster, PA/William Tennent) then cleared the bases with a double to center to make it 6-0 Broncs heading to the bottom of the third. In the fifth, Rider added three more runs to make it 9-0. Koonce singled, stole second and scored on
Gianna Epps' (Pottstown, PA/Pottstown) two-out RBI single to move to a 7-0 lead, before Ervin's sharp ground ball to short went through the shortstop's legs and all the way to the left-center field fence to score two more. Niegocki pitched around a leadoff walk to get the final three outs in the fifth to enact the mercy rule.
Notes
- Rider's 22 wins are the most for the program since 2006, when the Broncs won 24 games. The program record is 35 wins (1994, 2004).
- Groskritz moved to 8-6 on the year with the complete-game shutout, her second in a row and her fourth of the season. She scattered four hits and two walks, while striking out five.
- Niegocki started Game 2 in the circle and pitched a complete-game, two-hit shutout. She walked three and hit two, while striking out six to move to 3-2 on the season.
- Rider extended its lead in the all-time series with FDU to 15-6, including wins in 11 of the last 12 meetings.
- The game was the Broncs' first on the road since March 20 at Penn State, following a 14-game homestand in which Rider posted a 11-3 record. With the sweep, the Broncs evened their road record at 6-6.
- Rider returns to action Saturday, when it travels to Quinnipiac for a noon MAAC doubleheader.
Broncs by the Numbers
- Rider's pitching staff has allowed one unearned run on nine hits over the last four games.
- 11 different Broncs had a hit on the afternoon.
- Ansara led the way with a 3-for-4 effort with a run scored in Game 1 before being given Game 2 off.
- Koonce went 2-for-3 on the afternoon with a double, three RBI's, a run scored, a walk, a hit-by-pitch and a sacrifice bunt.
- Vazquez got the start in Game 2 and went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI.
- Niegocki and Stansfield also had two hits apiece, with Niegocki scoring a run and Stansfield both scoring and driving in one.
- Gonzalez, Weatherford, Crowder, Epps, Ervin and Moreno also had one hit each.
- Moreno and Cooper scored two runs each.
- Gonzalez, Weatherford, Crowder and Epps also had one RBI each, while Epps and Ervin scored once each.
- Ansara, Koonce and Cooper each stole a base as the Broncs went 3-for-4 on the basepaths Wednesday.
