College Softball: Monmouth University 11, Rider University 3

LAWRENCEVILLE — The Monmouth University softball team broke a 1-1, sixth inning tie and scored five times in both the sixth and seventh innings as the Hawks defeated Rider University 11-3 on Wednesday afternoon (March 13) at Herb and Joan Young Field in Lawrenceville.

Rider (2-12) made six errors in the game, leading to seven unearned runs.

Monmouth (8-3) broke a scoreless tie in the fifth inning on a two-out throwing error.

The Broncs tied the game in the bottom of the fifth inning, taking advantage of a Monmouth error after sophomore Gina McCool (Marlton/Cherokee) walked and sophomore Amanda Irving (Westminster, Md./Westminster) followed with a one out double.  Rider was unable to sustain the rally and left the bases loaded, three of seven runners left on base in the game.

After a Rider pitching change in the top of the sixth inning, Monmouth responded with a walk and two-run home run to take a 3-1 lead.  After an error and two singles, Rider was forced to go back to red-shirt freshman starter Krista Morrone (Pipersville, Pa./Palisades) in the circle.

Two sacrifice flies, two wild pitches and an error, allowed the Hawks to open up a 6-1 lead and the Hawks scored five times on six hits and another Rider error in the top of the seventh to take an 11-1 lead.

Sophomore Allysen Breeden (Hagerstown, Md./North Hagerstown) had a one out RBI single and freshman Dana Sensi (Allentown) followed with a sacrifice fly for the final score in the bottom of the seventh.  Sensi was one for three on the day.

Morrone worked six innings in her two turns on the mound, scattering five hits and allowed two runs, none earned, while recording two strikeouts.

Freshman Ali Meagher (Clark/Arthur L. Johnson) faced four batters in the sixth, allowing four runs, two earned to pick up her second loss of the year.

Monmouth out-hit Rider 13-5.

The Hawks swept Rider in 2011 in West Long Branch, 4-3 and 3-0.  In 2010, the Broncs split a doubleheader, winning the opener 2-1 in West Long Branch, the first Rider win over the Hawks since 2005.  Former Northeast Conference rivals, Monmouth and Rider have now met 46 times on the softball diamond with the Broncs winning 27.  Monmouth swept two games in Lawrenceville in 2009.

The Hawks will once again be conference rivals for Rider with Monmouth joining the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference for the 2013-14 season. 

Rider heads to Florida March 15-20 for the Rebel Spring games, facing North Dakota, Wagner, Utah Valley and Fairleigh Dickinson with two games each against Columbia, Albany and UW-Green Bay.

After a doubleheader at Army on March 24, the Broncs return home on March 26 for a 2:30pm doubleheader against Hartford.