LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – Amanda Cooper (Huntsville, TX/Huntsville) delivered a two-run single with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh to tie Game 2 and the winning scored when the ball got past the center fielder as the Rider University softball team split with Canisius Saturday afternoon at Herb and Joan Young Field. Canisius came from behind to defeat the Broncs, 4-2, in Game 1, before Rider turned the trick on a 5-4 walk-off win in Game 2. With the split, the Broncs move to 18-12 (4-2 MAAC), while the Griffs are now 13-14 (3-3 MAAC).

The Broncs scratched across a run in the bottom of the third in Game 1, as Alyssa Ansara (Waterville, OH/Anthony Wayne) reached on a bunt single and took second on an errant pickoff attempt from the catcher, took third on a sacrifice bunt from Gianna Epps (Pottstown, PA/Pottstown). Canisius pitcher Megan Giese got an out on a bang-bang play at first on a bunt attempt for the second out. But Cooper cashed in Ansara from third with a lined single to left field to put Rider on top, 1-0. Canisius took the lead with a three-run top of the six on a pair of two-out RBI doubles.

The Broncs got a run back in the bottom of the sixth as Cooper and pinch hitter Chaela Crowder (Simi Valley, CA/Simi Valley) contributed one-out singles, before Brianna Koonce (Warminster, PA/William Tennent) delivered a two-out RBI single to center to cut the deficit to 3-2. But Canisius added an insurance run in the top of the seventh and Giese closed out the Griffs' victory with a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh.

In Game 2, the Griffs chased starting pitcher Jessie Niegocki (Marana, AZ/Mountain View) with two runs on three singles, a walk and a hit-by-pitch. She left the bases loaded and one of her runners scored on a wild pitch. But Kathryn Schmierer (Racine, WI/Racine Lutheran) limited further damage with a pair of strikeouts to end the frame. Rider got a run back in the bottom of the inning on Kellie Ervin's (Buford, GA/Mountain View) leadoff solo blast to right center, cutting the deficit to 3-1. The teams exchanged solo home runs in the sixth, including Ervin's second of the game, sending the game to the seventh with Canisius holding a 4-2 lead.

Koonce, Epps and Jessie Niegocki (Marana, AZ/Mountainview) each singled to open the bottom of the seventh, loading the bases with no one out. After Canisius pitcher Alexis Churchill got a strikeout for the first out, Cooper sent a sharp single up the middle that would score two. But the ball also evaded center fielder Christie McGee-Ross, allowing Niegocki, who'd slowed around second, to score the winning run all the way from first.

Quotes & Notes
"That's how we hit. That's the type of team we are. That's what I expect innings one through six, not just inning seven. So, it didn't come as a shock. It was expected. Statistically, it was time for us to put some hits together."

"It feels good to be able to win those and pull close games out and be there with teams that were picked to finish above us. It's good to be in the running, but we still have to put everything else together." – Rider Head Coach Davon Ortega

- Rider won its 18^th game for the first time since 2012, when the Broncs won 20 games.
- Anna-Marie Groskritz (Granby, CT/Granby Memorial) took the loss in Game 1, allowing four runs, three earned, on eight hits and three walks. She struck out five.
- Niegocki (Marana, AZ/Mountain View) started Game 2 and allowed three earned runs on three hits, a walk and a hit-by-pitch. She struck out one.
- Kathryn Schmierer (Racine, WI/Racine Lutheran) pitched 3.2 innings in relief in Game 2, allowing just one earned run on three hits without walking a batter. She struck out two.
- Brooklyn Trujillo-Quintana (Henderson, CO/Prairie View) pitched 2.0 scoreless innings of relief to earn the win. She allowed two hits and a walk to move to 5-3 on the season.
- Ervin's two home runs were her first collegiate extra-base hits, accounting for her two RBI's.  
- Canisius leads the all-time series with Rider, 41-18, including five of seven meetings last season. The Broncs won the opener of their three-game MAAC Championship-opening series in Buffalo and led late into Game 3. But the Griffs pulled out the series and advanced to the semifinals.
- The Broncs wrap up a 14-game homestand with Senior Day Sunday, when they play host to Niagara. First pitch of the doubleheader is scheduled for noon on Herb and Joan Young Field.

Broncs by the Numbers
- Cooper led the Broncs with four hits and three RBI's on the day.
- Koonce went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
- Niegocki added all three of her hits and a run scored in a 3-for-4 effort in Game 2.
- Crowder and Ervin added two hits apiece. Ervin's two solo home runs gave her two runs and two RBI's.
- Epps, Ansara and Gonzalez each added a hit and a run scored. Gonzalez's hit was her team-leading 10^th double of the year.
- The Broncs cut down all three Canisius attempted base stealers on the day. The Griffs entered the day with an 86.4 success rate (57-66) on stolen-base attempts.