LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – The Rider University softball team split a doubleheader Tuesday against Lafayette, falling in game one 8-0, before winning game two, 6-5. The Broncs move to 25-21 on the season, while the Leopards go to 14-33 on the year.
 
Lafayette took control of game one early, scoring three in the first, then adding one in each of the second, third, and fourth. The Leopards then scored three in the fifth while keeping the Broncs off the board to claim the victory.
 
In game two, the Leopards got on the board first with a run in the top of the opening inning. In the second, Kendall Reda-Fehsal (Succasunna, NJ/Roxbury) led off with a single, then with two away Melissa Purcella (Albuquerque, NM/Albuquerque Academy) hit an infield single to put runners on the corners. Purcella then stole second and when the throw to second got away, Reda-Fehsal took advantage to score and tie the game.
 
Lafayette retook the lead in the top of the fourth, scoring a pair of runs to go ahead 3-1. The Broncs responded quickly in the bottom half of the inning. Abby Van Volkenburgh (Prosper, TX/John Paul II), Reda-Fehsal, Kiersten Buchanan (Holly Springs, NC/Holly Springs), Emma Morgan (Mechanicsburg, PA/Cumberland Valley), and Purcella hit five-straight singles, plating three runs to give the Broncs a 4-3 lead.
 
In the sixth, Keegan St. Cyr (Hopkinton, NH/Hopkinton) hit a leadoff double. Two batters later, Reda-Fehsal knocked a 2-1 pitch over the right field fence to extend the lead to 6-3. In the seventh, the Leopards plated a pair of runs, and had the tying run on third, but the Broncs induced a ground ball for the game's final out.
 
Quotes & Notes
"As always, I'm happy we were able to bounce back and get a split, but the expectation is very high for this team, and they're the ones who have set the bar so high. So when we don't do the things we've done well all season, it's a bit frustrating. We have a couple days to figure out how to get our spark back. Lily's worked really hard in the offseason, so the fact she was able to go all seven, introduce a change of speeds, and find success will hopefully build some confidence as we hopefully move to the playoffs." – Head Coach Davon Ortega
 
"It felt really good to go back out on the mound and start. We were focusing on change ups, and it threw them off quite a bit. But it was the team that came out and scored all those runs for me. They gave me a good cushion, and when they do that, it makes it easy every time I go out on the mound." – Freshman Pitcher Lily Ornelas
 
- Fallyn Stoeckel (Nutley, NJ/Nutley) started game one, tossing 4.1 innings, allowing eight runs on 11 hits, striking out six while taking the loss.
- Lily Ornelas (Hernando, FL/Trinity Catholic) started game two in the circle, tossing all seven innings in the night cap, allowing five runs, two earned, on nine hits to get the win.
- Reda-Fehsal's home run was her MAAC-leading 12^th of the season, and 24^th of her career.
 
Broncs By The Numbers
- Reda-Fehsal and Purcella led Rider with three hits each across the pair of games.
- St. Cyr had a pair of hits in the doubleheader.
- Van Volkenburgh, Buchanan, Morgan, and Madison Moran (Lafayette Hill, PA/Plymouth Whitemarsh) each had a hit in the pair of games.
 
Up Next
The Broncs are back in action Friday for a double header against Mount St. Mary's. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.