COLLEGE PARK, MD – The Rider University softball team bounced back from a tough 3-2, extra-innings loss to Bucknell to defeat North Dakota, 9-1, in five innings Saturday at the Capital City Classic. With the split, the Broncs move to 5-13, while the Bison improved to 8-14.  

Against Bucknell, single runs in the fourth and fifth innings staked the Broncs to a 2-0 lead. Chaela Crowder's (Simi Valley, CA/Simi Valley) single in the fourth plated Olivia Burroughs (Escondido, CA/San Pasqual), before Jadeyn Merrill's (Lamesa, TX/Lamesa) two-out RBI double scored Maddie Luedtke (Gibbstown, NJ/Gloucester County Institute of Technology). But Bucknell got a pair of two-out RBI extra-base hits in the sixth to tie the game at 2-2. Rider put the winning run on third with one out in the seventh, but Bucknell pitcher Kaiya Burton worked out of trouble with a strikeout and a groundout. With the international tiebreaker in play, Bucknell got a two-out RBI single from Savannah Jones. Rider sacrificed the runner to third to begin the bottom of the eighth, but Burton again navigated out of trouble with a strikeout and a flyout to close out the Bucknell win.

Against North Dakota, the Broncs scored early and often to score in each of their four offensive frames to take a 9-0 lead. Julia Harsche (Staten Island, NY/St. Joseph-by-the-Sea) delivered an RBI double in the first, while Gianna Epps (Pottstown, PA/Pottstown) hit an RBI single in the second. In the third, it was Merrill blasting her team-leading second home run of the season, before Kristyn Gardner (Perryville, MD/Perryville) connected on a two-run triple to give Rider the six-run cushion after three. In the fourth, it was Merrill again, delivering a two-run double to score Harsche. Burroughs followed with a sacrifice fly and Gardner drove in her third run of the game with a single to make it 9-0 Rider. North Dakota got a run back on a four-base error to open the fifth. But Jessie Niegocki (Marana, AZ/Mountain View) navigated the rest of the inning scoreless to close out the Rider victory.
 
Quotes & Notes
"We made some good improvements today and the bats found some life. This may be the momentum we need to find consistency." – Rider Head Coach Davon Ortega

- Kathryn Schmierer (Racine, WI/Racine Lutheran) took the loss against Bucknell, pitching the full 8.0 innings, while allowing two earned runs on seven hits and a walk, striking out four.
- Niegocki went the distance against North Dakota, allowing just an unearned run on three hits and two walks, striking out five.

Broncs by the Numbers
- Four Broncs – Luedtke, Merrill, Gardner and Harsche had three hits each on the day.
- Luedtke scored three times, as did Burroughs, who went 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI. Luedtke also reached on a hit-by-pitch.
- Merrill doubled twice, hit her team-leading second home run of the year, scored two runs and drove in four.
- Gardner tripled and drove in three.
- Harsche doubled, scored a run and drove in another.
- Epps and Crowder added a hit and an RBI each. Epps also stole a base.
- Ysabellah Otero (New Milford, NJ/New Milford) also delivered a hit in her only at bat.
- Niegocki and Chelsea Weatherford (Wixom, MI/White Lake Lakeland) added one run scored each.  

Up Next
The Broncs wrap up Capital City Classic action tomorrow, when they face host Maryland at 1 p.m.