LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – Senior Anna-Marie Groskritz (Granby, CT/Granby Memorial) pitched a Game 1 gem and senior Jessie Niegocki (Marana, AZ/Mountain View) and freshman Kiersten Buchanan (Holly Springs, NC/Holly Springs) had four hits each as the Rider University softball team swept Canisius, 4-1 and 8-4, in the first two games of a league-opening three-game set Friday afternoon at Herb and Joan Young Field. With the sweep, the Broncs improve to 9-17 (2-0 MAAC), while the Griffs fall to 7-12 (2-2 MAAC).  

Groskritz retired the first 13 batters she faced in Game 1 and was staked to a 4-0 lead on four Rider runs in the bottom of the fourth. Kendall Reda-Fehsal (Succasunna, NJ/Roxbury) sent an 0-2 pitch over the right field fence for a 1-0 lead before Maddie Luedtke (Gibbstown, NJ/Gloucester County Institute of Technology) doubled to right center. Olivia Burroughs (Escondido, CA/San Pasqual) followed with an RBI double inside the third base bag, with Luedtke avoiding the tag at the plate. An error put runners on the corners and Shelby Dyer's (Clarksboro, NJ/Kingsway Regional) successful safety squeeze bunt plated Burroughs from third. Niegocki's fly ball dropped inside the left-field line for an RBI double to cap the Broncs' fourth-inning scoring.

Canisius would get its first hit and break up the shutout as well, when Emily Ilano homered to left with one out in the fifth. But Groskritz immediately settled to retire the final two batters of the inning and keep the Broncs' advantage at 4-1. The Griffs got two more hits in the sixth, but Groskritz got Canisius' top run producer, Gianna Fazzolari, to ground out, preserving the 4-1 lead. She'd then work a 1-2-3 top of the seventh, including a full-extension diving catch by Luedtke in foul territory down the left-field line, to end the game in a 4-1 Rider Game 1 win.

Canisius struck first in Game 2 on a two-run single in the second from Christie McGee-Ross. Rider responded in the bottom of the frame, with Luedtke sending a two-run blast over the left-field wall to tie the game at 2-2. The Griffs plated another on a solo, lined shot to right from Fazzolari, to retake a 3-2 lead in the top of the third, but again, the Broncs answered. This time, it was Jadeyn Merrill (Lamesa, TX/Lamesa) lining a single back up the box to score Tristen Wren (Rancho Cucamonga, CA/Etiwanda) to tie the game at 3-3 after three.

The Griffs retook a 4-3 lead on a successful squeeze bunt in the top of the sixth, before the Broncs again had the answer, this time taking their first lead of the game with a five-run outburst in the bottom of the inning. Luedtke led off with a walk, before Buchanan singled and both runners moved up on a Burroughs flyout. Abby Cruz (Corona, CA/Santiago) tied the game with a base hit to right, before Rider took the lead on Laneya Wright's (Tucson, AZ/Marana) pinch-hit, RBI single to center for what proved to be the game-winning run. Rider would score three more on a Wren single, a Merrill sacrifice fly and a wild pitch to take an 8-4 lead after six. Niegocki came on to pitch the seventh, working a 1-2-3 inning, including a Luedtke over-the-shoulder catch on a dead sprint into the left-centerfield gap for the second out.
 
Notes
- Groskritz went the distance in Game 1 to earn the win, allowing just one earned run on three hits without walking a batter. She struck out six.
- Fallyn Stoeckel (Nutley, NJ/Nutley) started Game 2 in the circle and took a no decision, allowing three earned runs on four hits and two hit-by-pitches, striking out one over 3.0 innings pitched.
- Kathryn Schmierer (Racine, WI/Racine Lutheran) earned the win in relief, allowing one earned run on one hit without walking a batter over 3.0 innings pitched. She struck out one.
- Niegocki finished the game with a clean seventh, striking out one without allowing a baserunner.

Broncs by the Numbers
- Buchanan went 4-for-5 with a double and three singles, while reaching safely a fifth time on a walk. She scored one run.
- Niegocki also had four hits, going 4-for-8 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored.
- Luedtke went 3-for-5 wit two doubles, a home run, two RBI's and three runs scored. She also walked once.
- Reda-Fehsal went 3-for-7, including her team-leading third homer of the year and two runs scored.
- Burroughs chipped in with a 2-for-5 effort with a double, an RBI and a run scored.
- Seven other Broncs – Wright, Stoeckel, Cruz, Kristyn Gardner (Perryville, MD/Perryville), Asiah Bell (Tucson, AZ/Canyon Del Oro [Central Ariz. Coll.]), Wren and Merrill – had one hit each, with Wright and Bell scoring once each.
- Merrill drove in two, while Wright, Cruz, Wren and Dyer each had one RBI.
- Olivia Smith (Freehold, NJ/Freehold Township) scored a run as a pinch runner in Game 2.

Up Next
The Broncs wrap up the three-game series with Canisius Saturday with a 12 p.m. first pitch on BroncVision.