HUNTINGTON, WV – Jadeyn Merrill (Lamesa, TX/Lamesa), Maddie Luedtke (Gibbstown, NJ/Gloucester County Institute of Technology) and Olivia Burroughs (Escondido, CA/San Pasqual) had three hits each as the Rider University softball team split a pair of games Friday at the Marshall Thundering Herd March Madness. Rider fell to Winthrop, 2-1, before bouncing back to earn an 18-4 win over Cleveland State in five innings. With the split, the Broncs move to 4-8, while the Eagles improved to 13-8 and the Vikings fell to 4-13.

The Winthrop game was a pitchers' duel, with a two-run fourth for the Eagles proving to be the difference. Luedtke singled to lead off the bottom of the seventh and scored on Burroughs' double to cut the deficit to 2-1. But Winthrop pitcher Reese Basinger finished off the win with a strikeout and a popout to strand the would-tying run. Kathryn Schmierer (Racine, WI/Racine Lutheran) took the tough-luck loss in the circle for the Broncs, limiting the Eagles to two earned runs on six hits without walking a batter.

The Broncs opened the Cleveland State game with a four-run top of the first. Jessie Niegocki (Marana, AZ/Mountain View) reached on an error and Gianna Epps (Pottstown, PA/Pottstown) walked, setting the table for Luedtke's two-run double. Luedtke would score on an RBI triple from Burroughs, who scored on Chaela Crowder's (Simi Valley, CA/Simi Valley) groundout to stake Rider to a 4-0 lead after a half inning. The Vikings would immediately get two runs back on three hits to make it 4-2 Rider after one.

The top of the second brought four more Broncs home. Rider loaded the bases on a Julia Harsche (Staten Island, NY/St. Joseph-by-the-Sea) double, an Ysabellah Otero (New Milford, NJ/New Milford) hit-by-pitch and a Niegocki single, before Epps walked to plate the first run. After a fielder's choice for the first out, Jadeyn Merrill (Lamesa, TX/Lamesa) singled home two and a Burroughs fielder's choice made it 8-2 Rider.

Rider completely put the game out of reach with a 10-run top of the fourth. Merrill got things going with a solo home run and, with the Broncs batting around, added a two-run double and a run scored. In between, the Broncs got run-scoring hits from Crowder, Otero, Niegocki, Epps and Luedtke to push the lead to 18-2. Cleveland State got a two-run double in the bottom of the fifth, but the game was abbreviated to five innings with the Broncs enacting the mercy rule in an 18-4 win.     
  
Quotes & Notes
"It's great to finally see the offense firing up. It's been a two-week build-up to this and now this team knows what they're capable of." – Rider Head Coach Davon Ortega

- Schmierer took the loss against Winthrop, allowing two earned runs on six hits without walking a batter. She struck out three.
- Niegocki entered the circle in the second inning of the Cleveland State game and picked up the win, pitching 4.0 innings of relief. She allowed two earned runs on two hits and two walks, while striking out seven.

Broncs by the Numbers
- Merrill went 3-for-5 on the day with a double, her first collegiate home run, five RBI's and two runs scored.
- Luedtke went 3-for-6 with a double, four runs scored and four RBI's.
- Burroughs doubled twice and tripled in a 3-for-6 effort with three RBI's and a pair of runs scored.
- Harsche reached safely three times in five plate appearances, going 2-for-4 with a double, a walk and two runs scored.
- Niegocki also added a pair of hits, three runs scored and an RBI.
- Crowder doubled, drove in two and scored a run.
- Epps singled, walked twice, scored three runs and drove in two.
- Otero and Laneya Wright (Tucson, AZ/Marana) each scored one run.
- The Broncs had 13 of their 15 hits on the day against Cleveland State.

Up Next
The Broncs return to action Saturday, when they wrap up play at the Marshall Thundering Herd March Madness against the host Thundering Herd at 1 p.m. and a rematch with Winthrop at 3 p.m. The Marshall game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.