LAWRECEVILLE, NJ – The Rider University softball team earned a series victory over Quinnipiac Sunday afternoon, splitting a double header, falling in game one 13-0, before bouncing back to win game two 8-1. The Broncs moved to 15-14 on the season and 7-4 in MAAC play, while the Bobcats are now 15-10 overall and 11-3 in league games.
 
Game one belonged to the Bobcats with Quinnipiac scoring four in the second, seven in the third, and two in the third, building a 13-0 lead and earning the run-rule victory after the fifth.
 
The Broncs bounced back quickly in game two. After a 1-2-3 top of the first, Aspen Wheeler (Lampasas, TX/Lampasas) and Keegan St. Cyr (Hopkinton, NH/Hopkinton) led off the bottom of the first with back-to-back singles. After a Quinnipiac error loaded the bases, Abby Cruz (Corona, CA/Santiago) doubled to the gap in the left center, scoring a pair. Kendall Reda-Fehsal (Succasunna, NJ/Roxbury) then beat out an infield hit to bring in a run, and after a wild pitch, Emma Morgan (Mechanicsburg, PA/Cumberland Valley) singled to drive in a pair and extend the lead to 5-0.
 
After the Bobcats got a run back in the top of the second, Wheeler led off the second with a double. Two batters later, Maddie Luedtke (Gibbstown, NJ/Gloucester County Institute of Technology) singled back up the middle to extend the lead to 6-1. With two away and a runner on first, Cruz and Reda-Fehsal hit back-to-back singles, pushing the advantage to 7-1.
 
The pitchers settled in, not allowing a runner beyond first base until the bottom of the sixth. Fallyn Stoeckel (Nutley, NJ/Nutley) started the inning with a pinch-hit double to the wall in right center. Three batters later, Luedtke singled to left, driving in the run to produce the final score.
 
Quotes & Notes
"I liked the fight. We didn't carry game two over, we brushed it off and came back fighting. Taking the series is always the goal. It's hard to beat any team three teams, especially a team like that, and bouncing back the way we did makes it even more special. Gabi's confidence was huge, and she's carrying the load for us. Going back-to-back days is something we haven't seen yet, and she was even better today than she was yesterday. She's putting the team on her shoulders and the rest of the team is feeding off that confidence." – Head Coach Davon Ortega
 
"Getting that win felt good today. After coming up short in game one, we all wanted it really bad, and it showed in game two. Instead of getting the first game out of my mind, I used it as fuel to push me through the game. Again, I was just trying to spin the ball as much as I could. They are a really good hitting team, as we saw, and it worked out, knowing that my D has my back. We can beat anyone in the conference, and the only thing that holds us back is our mindset." – Sophomore Pitcher Gabi Rodriguez
 
- Stoeckel started in the circle in game one, allowing seven runs, five earned, on six hits to take the loss.
- Gabi Rodriguez (Chula Vista, CA/Olympian) started game two on the mound, throwing all seven innings, allowing one run on seven hits, striking out two to earn the win.
- Stockel's double was her 100^th career hit.
 
Broncs By The Numbers
- Cruz and St. Cyr led Rider with four hits on the day, including St. Cyr getting Rider's lone two hits in game one.
- Wheeler, Reda-Fehsal, and Rodriguez each added a pair of hits across the double header.
- Luedtke, Morgan, and Stoeckel each finished with a hit.
 
Up Next
The Broncs remain home to host Penn in a single game Wednesday at 3 p.m.