LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – The Rider University softball team won the opening game of its three-game set against Canisius Friday evening, 5-3. The Broncs improve to 21-18 on the season and 11-8 in MAAC play, while the Golden Griffins fall to 11-21 on the year and 7-11 in MAAC play.
 
Canisius opened the game strong, building a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. In the bottom of the first, Gabi Rodriguez (Chula Vista, CA/Olympian) singled with two outs. Maddie Luedtke (Gibbstown, NJ/Gloucester County Institute of Technology) followed with a single to put runners on the corners, then Kendall Reda-Fehsal (Succasunna, NJ/Roxbury) delivered an RBI single to trim the deficit to 2-1.
 
In the second, Kiersten Buchanan (Holly Springs, NC/Holly Springs) led off the inning with a double. Emma Morgan (Mechanicsburg, PA/Cumberland Valley) then dropped a perfectly placed bunt to put runners on the corners with no outs, and Sydney Savatt (Pittsburgh, PA/Avonworth) hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game at two.
 
In the third, Luedtke drew a one-out walk. After advancing to second on a wild pitch, Abby Cruz (Corona, CA/Santiago) hit a single that drove in Luedtke to put the Broncs on top. However, Canisius tied the game with a run in the top of the fifth.
 
Rider took the game in the bottom of the fifth. Keegan St. Cyr (Hopkinton, NH/Hopkinton) started the inning with a single. Two batters later, Luedtke singled and advanced to second when the Golden Griffins threw home to keep the runner at third. Reda-Fehsal would deliver the big hit immediately after, driving a two-run double to left center, providing what would be the game-winning hit.
 
Quotes & Notes
"I like that we pulled out the win, but we were matching the intensity of their pitcher early, and we weren't playing our game.  We fought back, and when we needed a clutch hit, we made things happen. We know that we can hit, and we have a belief that there's not a pitcher we face that we aren't going to score runs against, and it helps Gabi be confident in her pitches. Kiersten has been a key contributor from the moment she stepped on campus, and she shows how we've changed the game at Rider, and her getting her 100^th hit means a lot for both her and the program." – Head Coach Davon Ortega
 
"They brought in a reliever and I wasn't going to take any pitches off. As soon as I saw it belt high outside, I knew I would be able to drive it, and I was just trying not to think too much. Maddie said it last time that we are competitive with each other, and she was getting on tonight and I knew I had to drive her in. Every time I go up, I feel like I need to get every run I can, because we aren't going to lose this game, and even when I get out, it just means I have to get the next hit." – Junior Designated Player Kendall Reda-Fehsal
 
- Rodriguez started the game in the circle, tossing all seven innings, allowing eight runs on 14 hits, striking out one to get the win.
- Buchanan's double was the 100^th hit of her career.
- Reda-Fehsal's first-inning RBI was the 100^th of her career.
 
Broncs By The Numbers
- Luedtke and Reda-Fehsal led the broncs with a pair of hits in the contest
- Aspen Wheeler (Lampasas, TX/Lampasas), St. Cyr, Rodriguez, Cruz, Buchanan, and Morgan each had a hit in the contest.
 
Up Next
The Broncs are back in action Saturday for a doubleheader against Canisius to close out the series, beginning at noon.