LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – The Rider University softball team was defeated Saturday by Mount St. Mary's, falling 11-1 in the season finale. The Broncs fall to 25-24 on the season, and 14-13 in MAAC play, while the Mountaineers improve to 20-28 on the year, and 15-12 in league games.
After both offenses got off to a slow start, the Mountaineers broke through in the third, taking advantage of a Rider error to build a 1-0 lead. In the fourth, it was another Rider error that allowed four Mountaineer runs to score and extend the lead to 5-0.
The Mount added a run in the fifth, then two in the sixth to push the lead to 8-0. In the bottom of the inning,
Keegan St. Cyr (Hopkinton, NH/Hopkinton) hit a lead-off single, then
Maddie Luedtke (Gibbstown, NJ/Gloucester County Institute of Technology) entered the game and though injured, managed to draw a nine-pitch walk. Two batters later,
Abby Cruz (Corona, CA/Santiago) reached on an error that scored St. Cyr and kept the game alive.
The Mountaineers added three runs in the seventh and kept the Broncs off the board in the bottom half to secure the win.
Quotes & Notes
"It's a disappointing way to end the season. It was sucha special season and we did a lot of really good things. At the end of the day, it just wasn't our time. [Fallyn and Maddie] changed the program because of the grit and fight they have. The way they play has set a standard for the what we want Rider softball to be, and I can't even put into words what they've meant to this program."
– Head Coach Davon Ortega
- Prior to the game, the team honored its outgoing senior class of Luedtke and
Fallyn Stoeckel (Nutley, NJ/Nutley).
- Stoeckel started the game in the circle, tossing 3.2 innings, allowing five unearned runs on seven hits, while striking out one, taking the loss.
Broncs By The Numbers
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Aspen Wheeler (Lampasas, TX/Lampasas), St. Cyr,
Kiersten Buchanan (Holly Springs, NC/Holly Springs) and
Melissa Purcella (Albuquerque, NM/Albuquerque Academy) each had a hit in the game.
