Rider Softball Splits Doubleheader

By Rider University Sports

Behind the first career shutout for red-shirt freshman Krista Morrone (Pipersville, Pa./Palisades), the Rider University softball team split a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference doubleheader with Canisius College at Herb and Joan Young Field Saturday afternoon (April 6).

In the opener, Morrone threw a three-hit complete game, recording two strikeouts for her sixth win of the season as Rider shutout the Golden Griffs.

Rider broke a scoreless tie in the fourth inning when freshman Kim Valdes (Jupiter, Fla./King’s Academy) led off with a double and eventually scored on a Canisius error with two outs.

The Broncs bunched together five hits in the bottom of the fifth inning, including an RBI single by Valdes and an RBI double from sophomore Amanda Irving (Westminster, Md./Westminster) as Rider plated four insurance runs for the final score.

Irving had two hits in the opener and four hits on the day.

Also for the Broncs in game one, junior Kehli Washington (Lulea, Sweden/New Rochelle) had three hits and she had four in the doubleheader.

In the nightcap, due to injuries to Rider’s two other pitchers, Morrone was pressed back into service in a 9-7 loss.

Canisius out-hit Rider (6-27, 2-2 MAAC) 21-7 in game two but left nine runners on base and had four more throw out on the bases or at home.

Trailing 2-0, Rider scored four times on five hits in the fourth inning, including a three-run home run by freshman Emily Cottrell (Beachwood/Toms River HS South) and a run scoring double by sophomore Lauren Davis (Pittsburgh, Pa./Seneca Valley) as the Broncs went ahead 4-2.  For Cottrell it was her third home run of the season.

After the Golden Griffins took a 5-4 lead in the fifth, Rider rebounded with three runs on two hits and a Golden Griff error in the bottom of the fifth to retake a 7-5 lead on a sacrifice fly, wild pitch and RBI walk.

Canisius (14-13, 1-1 MAAC) scored three runs on four hits in the top of the sixth inning, the fourth and final lead change of the game, to go ahead 8-7 and the Golden Griffins used an RBI single in the top of the seventh for the final score.

Irving scored twice for Rider in game two with sophomore Gina McCool (Marlton/Cherokee) also scoring twice.

Morrone went the distance for Rider in game two, recording one strikeout. Last season, Canisius swept Rider 8-2 and 3-2 in Buffalo, N.Y.  Canisius and Rider split two games in 2011 with the Broncs winning the opener 4-3 and the Golden Griffins taking the second game 13-3.

Canisius has won 26 of the 40 games in the series that started in 1991.  The Golden Griffins swept Rider in Buffalo in 2010 and the teams split a MAAC doubleheader in Lawrenceville in 2009.