LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – The Rider University softball team split a double header with Canisius to wrap up the three-game series, falling in nine innings, 2-1 in game one before securing the series victory with a 7-3 win in game two. The Broncs move to 22-19 on the season and 12-9 in MAAC play, while the Golden Griffins are now 12-22 on the year and 8-12 in MAAC play.
 
Canisius took the lead early in game one, scoring in the top of the first. In the bottom of the second, Kendall Reda-Fehsal (Succasunna, NJ/Roxbury) was hit by a pitch to lead off the second. With two away, Kiersten Buchanan (Holly Springs, NC/Holly Springs) ripped a double off the wall in center to bring Reda-Fehsal all the way around to even the game at one.
 
The pitching settled in at that point. Following the first-inning run, the Golden Griffins did not get another base runner until a two-out single in the seventh. Meanwhile the Broncs were kept off the board as well, getting just a single base runner beyond first from the third through the sixth innings. Canisius finally broke through in the ninth, getting three-straight hits to plate a run, and the Golden Griffins retired the Broncs in order in the bottom of the ninth to win game one.
 
In game two, it was Rider getting on the board first in the bottom of the third. Abby Cruz (Corona, CA/Santiago) led off the inning with a double down the line in left. Cruz would come around to score on the benefit of a pair of wild pitches.
 
The Broncs broke open the game in the fifth. With one out, Cruz and Melissa Purcella (Albuquerque, NM/Albuquerque Academy) hit back-to-back singles. With two away, Aspen Wheeler (Lampasas, TX/Lampasas) and Keegan St. Cyr (Hopkinton, NH/Hopkinton) hit back-to-back RBI singles, then after a Canisius error extended the inning and loaded the bases, Reda-Fehsal turned on a 1-2 pitch and drilled it over the fence in right for a grand slam that extended the Rider lead to 7-0. Canisius would get three runs in the top of the seventh, but the Broncs made the lead hold up.
 
Quotes & Notes
"Once again, I'm glad we pulled out a win, but I'm not satisfied. Good teams find a way to win when you have an off day, but this was just us getting complacent. We need to figure out the mental game. Both pitchers today came out and their spin was there. They both had good command of the zone, and kept their hitters off balance. Fallyn and Gabi are both mentally really tough, and we know they can get the job done, and we know they will always give us a chance to win. We have to spend the next week focusing on what makes us our team good, and sometimes we lose sight of that, but we just need to get back to focusing on the little things and next up is game one of the Fairfield series." – Head Coach Davon Ortega
 
"I focused more on my spin today, I really focused on slowing my ball down, and I think that threw them off today. When I just let my defense play, I get to pitch less, which works better for me. Losing the first game really put a fire under me, and I really wanted and made me do whatever I needed to do to get a win." – Sophomore Pitcher Gabi Rodriguez
 
- Fallyn Stoeckel (Nutley, NJ/Nutley) started game one, tossing all nine innings, allowing just two runs on six hits and striking out nine, taking the loss.
- Gabi Rodriguez (Chula Vista, CA/Olympian) started game two in the circle, tossing all seven innings, allowing three runs on six hits, striking out one to get the win.
- Reda-Fehsal's home run was her 10^th of the season, and 22^nd of her career.
 
Broncs By The Numbers
- Cruz led Rider with three hits across the pair of games.
- Wheeler and St. Cyr each hat a pair of hits in the doubleheader.
- Maddie Luedtke (Gibbstown, NJ/Gloucester County Institute of Technology), Buchanan, Reda-Fehsal, and Purcella each had a hit in the pair of games.
 
Up Next
The Broncs are back in action next Saturday for a doubleheader against Fairfield to kick off a three-game series, beginning at noon.