April 21, 2007 - Fairfield 10 Rider 0 / Rider 4 Fairfield 3
April 21, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
College Softball
Fairfield University 10, Rider University 0
Rider University 4, Fairfield University 3
LAWRENCEVILLE—Junior Tiffany Day-Neutill (Agoura Hills, Calif./Oaks Christian) hit a walk off RBI single to left field, scoring freshman Candice Harris (Las Vegas, Nev./Coronado) as the Broncs salvaged a doubleheader split against Fairfield Saturday afternoon. “The energy level and the attitude were much better in the second game,” said head coach Tricia Carroll.
For Rider (6-24, 1-5 MAAC) in game two, sophomore Lauren Brunner (Chino, Calif./Chino) threw a complete game, scattering nine hits.
“Lauren did a great job for us,” Carroll said. “Especially with their big hitters, holding them either off base or to singles, she really kept us in the game and gave us a chance to win it. She struck out Frank who had three hits in the second game with a runner on second in the seventh. It will get overlooked but that was a huge play. And any win is a good win and with all of the close games we have lost this season, we needed one to go in our favor.” Nine of Rider’s losses have been by two runs or less including four one-run games.
“I was just looking to hold us in the game long enough so the bats could win it for us,” said Brunner. “I knew the offense would come around and get us a run. It was important to win and carry the momentum into Sunday. It was also a good win because we didn’t let the mental and physical mistakes from the first game carry over into the second game.”
With the score tied at three in the seventh, Harris hit a one-out single, followed by a single from senior Ashley Boulden (Brooklawn, N.J./Gloucester). After a Stag pitching change and a foul out, Day-Neutill singled to left center on a 2-0 pitch. Day-Neutill and Harris each had two hits in the game.
“I was looking for something to drive,” said Day-Neutill after the game-winning hit. “I figured that Fairfield would pitch around me a little bit so I wanted to be more selective. It was a pretty good pitch but I was able to go down and get it. Lauren pitched great for us and the defense came up big behind her.”
Freshman Megan Kozlowski (Richboro, Pa./Council Rock-North) got Rider on the board with an RBI double in the third inning, scoring Harris to break a scoreless tie. Kozlowski had two hits in the second game for the Broncs.
“Everyone in the lineup can be dangerous,” Day-Neutill added. “If it wasn’t me, I had all the confidence in the world that our next hitters would get the job done.”
Fairfield (12-19, 4-4 MAAC) scored three times in the fifth inning on four hits to take a 3-1 lead.
The Broncs tied the game at three in the sixth keyed by two Stag errors and two-out RBI single by senior Desiree Harbaugh (Frederick, Md./Gov. Thomas Johnson).
In the opener, Rider was held to two hits and blanked 10-0 in five innings. The Stags scored six times in the second, all unearned as Rider committed two errors in the inning. Fairfield added four in the fourth for the final score.
Rider hosts Canisius in a MAAC doubleheader at 11:00am on Sunday.
“It helps getting the first conference win out of the way,” said Day-Neutill as the Broncs broke a 12 game losing streak, including an 0-5 start in MAAC play. “We can’t assume that ok, now we are playing better just because we won. Sure it helps mentally to get the win but we still have to come out with the drive and determination and the right mind set on Sunday against Canisius.”
-RU-
