EMMITSBURG, MD – The Rider University softball team erupted for 23 runs on 24 hits to sweep a road MAAC doubleheader from Mount St. Mary's, 5-0 and 18-4 (5 innings), Wednesday afternoon. With the wins, the Broncs' second and third in a row, Rider improves to 11-26 (5-7 MAAC), while the Mountaineers fall to 8-28 (3-12 MAAC).

The Broncs struck first in Game 1 on an Olivia Burroughs (Escondido, CA/San Pasqual) RBI single in the second. The Broncs pieced together a one-out rally, with Fallyn Stoeckel (Nutley, NJ/Nutley) reaching on a walk, followed by Aspen Wheeler's (Lampasas, TX/Lampasas) double to right center to put runners on second and third. Burroughs then singled on a hot shot fielded on a dive into the hole at short to score Stoeckel.

Rider added two more runs in both the fifth and the seventh. Burroughs led off the fifth with a single, followed by a Kendall Reda-Fehsal (Succasunna, NJ/Roxbury) single through the right side. After a fly out and a strikeout for the first two outs of the season, Kiersten Buchanan (Holly Springs, NC/Holly Springs) ripped a two-run double to left-center field gap to score both runners and give the Broncs a 3-0 lead. In the seventh, the Reda-Fehsal cleared the right center field fence for a leadoff home run, before Shea Johnson (Carlsbad, CA/Cathedral Catholic) walked, stole second, took third on a sacrifice bunt and scored on Kristyn Gardner's (Perryville, MD/Perryville) RBI double.   

The support was more than enough for Broncs starting pitcher Anna-Marie Groskritz (Granby, CT/Granby Memorial), who scattered five hits without walking or hitting a batter in a complete-game shutout with 10 strikeouts. She didn't allow multiple hits in a single inning and allowed a runner into scoring position in just three innings, but stranded the Mountaineers on each occasion.

The Broncs again got on the board first in Game 2, erupting for 13 runs in the top of the first. 15 of the first 16 Broncs to come to bat reached safely, leading to the first 12 Rider runs. The first nine Broncs to reach base did so without an extra-base hit before Buchanan struck for a grand slam, making it 10-0 Broncs and forcing a Mount St. Mary's pitching change. With a new pitcher, little changed, as the next four Rider batters also reached to push the lead to 12-0 and, after the Mountaineers got the second out, Johnson capped the scoring with a two-out RBI single to push it to 13-0 Rider after a half inning.  

After the Mountaineers got one run back in the bottom of the first, the Broncs tacked on three more in the top of the second. Stoeckel led off with a walk and RBI doubles from Gardner, Cruz and Reda-Fehsal made it 16-1 Broncs. Rider capped its scoring on the day with a two-run top of the fourth. Gardner doubled and, after Wheeler's single put runners on the corners, the duo executed a double steal for the 17^th run. Wheeler would later score on a Reda-Fehsal sacrifice fly to make it 18-1 Broncs. Mount St. Mary's scored three runs on five hits in the bottom of the fifth, but it wasn't nearly enough as the Broncs secured the 18-4 mercy-rule-shortened victory.

Notes
- Groskritz spun her fourth complete-game shutout of the season and matched her season high with 10 strikeouts (Feb. 21 vs. UMass, Mar. 4 at CCSU). She scattered five hits without walking or hitting a batter over 7.0 innings pitched.  
- Kathryn Schmierer (Racine, WI/Racine Lutheran) took the Game 2 win in the circle, allowing one earned run on four hits and two walks over 3.0 innings pitched. She struck out one.
- Stoeckel pitched the final two innings of Game 2 in relief, allowing three earned runs on six hits over 2.0 innings pitched.
- Rider scored its most runs in a single game since another 18-4 win, this time on March 10, 2023, over Cleveland State.
- The Broncs' 13-run inning marked the most scored in a single inning since Rider scored 13 in the third inning of a 23-9 win over Morehead State on March 13, 2022.

Broncs by the Numbers
- Gardner led the Broncs with five hits, doing 5-for-8 with four doubles, four runs scored, two RBI's and a stolen base.
- Burroughs also reached five times on a 4-for-6 effort with a double, four RBI's and two runs scored. She also walked once.
- Reda-Fehsal added a 4-for-6 effort with a double, a home run, five RBI's and three runs scored.
- Cruz went 4-for-8 wit a double, two runs scored and an RBI.
- Buchanan added three hits, including a double and a grand slam, driving in a team-high six runs and scoring twice.
- Wheeler went 2-for-5 with a double, two walks, a stolen base, three runs scored and an RBI.
- Shelby Dyer (Clarksboro, NJ/Kingsway Regional) added a hit, a run and an RBI.
- Johnson had a hit, two walks, two runs scored and an RBI.
- Stoeckel walked three times and scored four runs.

Up Next
The Broncs return to action Saturday, when they begin a three-game MAAC series with Merrimack. First pitch of the Saturday doubleheader is scheduled for noon.