NEW ROCHELLE, NY – Kristyn Gardner (Perryville, MD/Perryville) had a pair of hits, but the sixth-seeded Rider University softball team was edged by No. 4 Siena, 1-0, in MAAC Championship elimination game Saturday afternoon. With the loss, the Broncs end their season at 25-34, while the Saints (36-20-1) advance to face Marist in the championship round tomorrow.

The Broncs loaded the bases with three-straight one-out singles from Shelby Dyer (Clarksboro, NJ/Kingsway Regional), Gardner and Abby Cruz (Corona, CA/Santiago). But the Saints got out of trouble with force out at home plate and a fly out. Rider also put a runner in scoring position on Fallyn Stoeckel's (Nutley, NJ/Nutley) one-out ground-rule double in the fifth, but the game remained scoreless through five and a half innings.

Siena's Emma Petersen led off the bottom of the sixth with a lined solo shot to right for the only run of the game. The Saints threatened for more, but Shea Johnson (Carlsbad, CA/Cathedral Catholic) chased down a fly ball to the warning track in the left-field corner to keep the deficit 1-0 heading to the seventh.

Olivia Burroughs (Escondido, CA/San Pasqual) led off the seventh with a single back up the middle. But Siena pitcher Alissa Eimont retired the next three batters to close out the game.

Notes
- Kathryn Schmierer (Racine, WI/Racine Lutheran) took the loss in the circle, allowing one earned run on four hits, a walk and two HBP's over 5.0-plus innings pitched. She struck out three.
- Anne-Marie Groskritz (Granby, CT/Granby Memorial) pitched the final inning in relief without allowing a baserunner.
- Groskritz allowed just one unearned run over 21.2 innings pitched for the tournament, earning MAAC All-Championship Team honors.
- Dyer also earned MAAC All-Championship Team honors after hitting .357 (5-for-14) with a .538 on-base percentage, two RBI's and a run scored over five games.

Broncs by the Numbers
- Gardner went 2-for-3 with a single and a double.
- Stoeckel also doubled.
- Burroughs reached twice on a single and a walk.
- Dyer, Cruz and Reda-Fehsal also singled.