Rider sweeps Saint Peter’s in three games
By Lindsay Scarola
Rider softball headed to Jersey City for a three game series starting April 18. The Broncs won all three games against the Saint Peter’s Peacocks, giving them their fourth series sweep of the season.
Sophomore catcher Kendall Reda-Fehsal shined in this series going seven-for-nine on Friday with four extra base hits and 12 RBIs
Head Coach Davon Ortega said, “This past weekend’s sweep was a huge confidence booster for the team because we know that we’re starting to come into our own and that there are no setbacks that are too great for us to overcome.”
Down Goes St. Peter’s
To start the game, the Broncs struck first with sophomore catcher Abby Cruz and freshman middle infielder Aspen Wheeler hitting RBI singles to go up 2-0.
Reda-Fehsal drove them in to make it a 4-0 ballgame.
Saint Peter’s got one back in the bottom of the first, but it did not matter, as Reda-Fehsal hit a two-run homer to make it a 6-1 game.
A bases clearing double by the Peacocks made it 6-4 after three.
The Broncs went on to score nine more runs, including another two run shot by Reda-Fehsal.
Saint Peter’s got two back in their last at bat, but could not come back in the 15-6 win for Rider.
Still hot in game two, Reda-Fehsal hit a bases-clearing triple in the first inning and later added two runs on a double.
In the fourth, a sacrifice fly by senior catcher Kristyn Gardner scored a runner to make it 6-0.
An epic start gave senior pitcher Kathryn Schmierer the safety she needed to throw a complete shutout game in the Broncs’ 6-0 win.
Schmierer’s rest was only for the night, as she was back on the mound for the third and final game of the series.
The Peacocks went up 4-0 after three due to two two-run home runs in the first and third inning, but the Broncs quickly got one back.
Down 4-1, Rider had back-to-back-to-back singles that scored a runner to make it 4-2 in the fifth.
In the sixth, Reda-Fehsal led off with a double and scored on freshman utility Noelle Flail’s RBI single, narrowing the gap and pushing the Broncs down by just one.
Wheeler reached on an infield single in the seventh, setting the stage for the hot bat of Reda-Fehsal.
For her third one of the series, Reda-Fehsal hit the game winning two-run homerun over the right-center field fence.
Saint . Peter’s went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning losing 5-4. They were swept by Rider.
The Broncs will be back home for a doubleheader against Morgan State University on April 23 at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
