LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – Backed by 14 innings of three-hit, one-run pitching from
Jessie Niegocki (Marana, AZ/Mountain View) and
Kathryn Schmierer (Racine, WI/Racine Lutheran), the Rider University softball team swept Manhattan, 1-0 and 4-1, Sunday afternoon at Herb & Joan Young Field. With the sweep, the Broncs have won five straight to improve to 11-22 (2-4 MAAC), while the Jaspers slip to 6-27 (2-4 MAAC).
In Game 1, the Broncs scratched across the lone run of the game in the bottom of the fourth.
Brianna Koonce (Warminster, PA/William Tennent) singled on a hot shot through the hole at short with one out, before Niegocki went the other way for a single to left, putting runners on first and second with two out.
Gianna Epps (Pottstown, PA/Pottstown) then delivered the game-winning hit on a single to right center to plate Koonce. The support was all Niegocki would need in the circle, as she took a no hitter into the seventh before settling for a complete-game, one-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts.
The weather and the bats heated up immediately in Game 2, as Manhattan's Lauren Rende sent a solo shot over the left-field fence in the top of the first and
Olivia Burroughs (Escondido, CA/San Pasqual) countered with a two-run shot in the bottom of the inning to give Rider a 2-1 lead after one. The Broncs would add two runs with two out in the third as
Jadeyn Merrill (Lamesa, TX/Lamesa) singled and scored on a double from
Laneya Wright (Tucson, AZ/Marana). Wright moved to third on a
Maddie Luedtke (Gibbstown, NJ/Gloucester County Institute of Technology) single and scored when a low throw on Luedtke's straight steal of second trickled away to make it 4-1 Broncs.
Quotes & Notes
"Jessie and Kat were outstanding today. Two pitching performances like that will allow us to stay in every game going forward."
– Rider Head Coach Davon Ortega
- Niegocki reached double-digit strikeouts for the second-straight game, following a career-high 13 K's on Tuesday against Morgan State. She limited the Jaspers to just a hit and a hit-by-pitch in her 7.0 shutout innings.
- Schmierer limited the Jaspers' scoring in Game 2 to Rende's solo home run in the first inning of Game 2. She earned the win, allowing just two hits and two hit-by-pitches, in the full 7.0 innings. She struck out six.
- Neither Niegocki nor Schmierer walked a batter on the day. The only free passes came on three hit batsmen.
Broncs by the Numbers
- Luedtke, Epps and Wright led the Broncs' offense with three hits apiece. Wright scored a run and added an RBI, while Epps drove in one. Luedtke also stole a base, while Epps reached one more time on a walk.
- Burroughs added a hit in each game, including the two-run home run in Game 2. She also reached on a hit-by-pitch.
- Merrill also had a hit in both games, including a double in Game 1, and scored a run.
- Koonce,
Julia Harsche (Staten Island, NY/St. Joseph-by-the-Sea) and Niegocki had one hit each. Koonce and Niegocki also scored a run.
- Koonce also reached three more times on two walks and a hit-by-pitch, while Niegocki walked once and was hit once.
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Kristyn Gardner (Perryville, MD/Perryville) also reached on a walk.
Up Next
The Broncs return to action Wednesday, when they complete a home-and-home, single-game series with Monmouth. First pitch from MU Softball Park in West Long Branch is scheduled for 3 p.m.
