Rider rallies to pick up three out of five wins in and out of MAAC play

By Samantha Clark

Rider softball had a winning week, prevailing in three out of five total games against the University of Pennsylvania Quakers and Saint Peter’s University Peacocks, while falling in a doubleheader against the Siena University Saints.

The home prevail

The Quaker battle on April 1 opened by putting the Broncs in an early hole, 1-0, until junior catcher Abby Cruz quickly responded by delivering a single and driving home sophomore utility Keegan St. Cyr, knotting the matchup at 1-1.

Immediately after, junior catcher Kendall Reda-Fehsal hit a double to left field, allowing Cruz to bring another run to the board, putting the Broncs up 2-1 at the end of the first inning.

To start the second, senior pitcher Fallyn Stoeckel only allowed one hit and zero runs, then picked up a hit of her own to open the bottom of the inning. 

Junior infielder Kiersten Buchanan walked to first, and after a single from sophomore infielder Aspen Wheeler, the Broncs added two more back-to-back runs, pulling out of the second inning on top, 4-1.

The Quakers added another late run in the third, but Rider followed with the same to put the score at 5-2 after a Buchanan RBI triple allowed sophomore first baseman Emma Morgan to cross the plate. 

Rider got right back into the swing of things in the bottom of the fifth when senior outfielder Maddie Luedtke drove a single down the center of the field, advancing all three Broncs on base. 

A throwing error from the Quakers then allowed freshman infielder Melissa Purcella and Buchanan to continue to advance, pushing the Broncs up 7-2 to give them a win after a similar sixth and seventh innings. 

“Our early resilience offensively was great but came as no surprise. … It’s allowed us to gain confidence knowing that we can let up a few runs early … and still be able to bounce back and score more,” Head Coach Davon Ortega said.

Pair of losses

The Broncs then took on a doubleheader on April 4, which added two more losses to their record. 

The first of the two was extremely slow, with runs scored until the bottom of the seventh inning.

The Broncs struggled at the plate, not securing a hit until the top of the sixth, after St. Cyr doubled to center field. Reda-Feshal followed in the seventh, getting the Broncs’ only hit of the inning, with a single. 

“It’s all about staying confident and calm in those moments. I trust the work I’ve put in and remind myself that my team has my back no matter what,” St. Cyr said. 

To round out the first of the two-game afternoon, the Saints brought home the first and only run, handing the Broncs their 1-0 loss.

The second game of the day began at a slower pace, with the opening two innings seeing zero runs. In the third, though, Buchanan smacked an in-the-park home run to bring in the Broncs’ first run of the game and day. 

The Saints’ bark was heard later in the fifth, when a fielding error allowed them to bring home three consecutive runs, setting Rider back 3-1. Without faltering, they racked up five more runs in the next inning, the Broncs seeing no luck at bat.

A home run from Reda-Feshal garnered Rider’s final run of the matchup, losing at 8-2.

Successful sweep

Despite a slow first inning in the first of two games on April 7, the Broncs immediately picked up steam in the second, getting seven total runs after just five hits. 

After a single to left field from Buchanan, Reda-Feshal crossed home plate to bring in the first run for the cranberry. Next at bat was Purcella, who wasted no time on the clock and launched a grand slam advancing the Broncs to 5-0.

Following in her teammates footsteps, Leudtke hit another home run to score herself and St. Cyr, adding seven total runs to the scoreboard in just one inning. 

The Broncs continued to dominate in the third, with singles bringing home sophomore pitcher Gabi Rodriguez, Reda-Feshal, Purcella and Wheeler and a fielding error allowing Luedtke and St. Cyr to collect the last of Rider’s runs.

The fourth and fifth innings were silent for both teams, ending the game with the five-inning mercy rule and handing the Broncs the 13-0 win. 

The latter of the doubleheader saw the same success for the Broncs, who kicked off play with a single from Luedtke, allowing a run from St. Cyr. The next three innings, although slow, saw impressive pitching from Stoeckel, who let up just two total hits. 

At the bottom of the fifth, Cruz picked up her 100th career hit, allowing St. Cyr to score once again for the Broncs. 

Wheeler reached on a fielding error to advance Stoeckel, who brought in the Broncs’ final run of the day, sweeping the Peacock series with the 3-0 win.

Rider hopes to continue their winning streak when they head to Poughkeepsie, New York, to take on the Marist Red Foxes on April 11 and 12.