May 2, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

College Softball
Rider University 5, Towson University 4
Towson University 5, Rider University 2

LAWRENCEVILLE—The Broncs split a doubleheader with Towson Wednesday.  “If you put the ball in play, you have a chance to make things happen,” said head coach Tricia Carroll.

Very often in baseball, a player makes a great defensive play and then comes up in the very next inning with the key hit.  It also happens in softball.  And for Rider freshman Candice Harris, it happened twice in back to back innings.

In the first game Harris (Las Vegas, Nev./ Coronado) singled to put runners on first and second in the seventh inning, her second hit of the game, and two batters later scored the game winning run on a throwing error.  Harris hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning to tie the score at 4-4 after making a diving catch in right center with a runner on second in the top half of the inning.  Harris threw a runner out at the plate from center field in the top of the seventh inning before scoring the winning run. 

A season worth of highlights in two innings.  “Candice has fun playing the game,” said Carroll.  “You can tell that just by the way she plays, she dives around, battles, makes plays, she just looks like she wants to be out there and that rubs off on the other players.”

“We are approaching the last week like we have nothing to lose,” said Harris who is an Education/Social Studies major at Rider.  “We are trying to do everything we can on every play to get the win.  Ashley [Boulden] did a great job to get on base and I reached on a bunt trying to get her over and we took advantage of the throwing error to win the game.”

“Ashley set the inning up,” Carroll added.  “Then we bunted which keeps the defense on their toes and we took advantage of their error.  It’s been happening to us all season so I was happy that it happened to another team for once.  And having Tiffany Day-Neutill pinch hit off the bench made Towson pitch around her and got the bases loaded for us to set up the winning play.”

The home run for Harris was her first collegiate home run.  “Candice hit two hard yesterday at Princeton that almost went out,” said Carroll.  “She has been hitting the ball hard and she finally got one over the fence.”

“I was looking for something that I could move the runner over with,” Harris said.  “The pitcher threw me an outside pitch and I just went with it and it happened to go out.”

Towson’s Stephanie Streets hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning to give the Tigers a 4-2 lead.

RBI singles by senior Ashley Boulden (Brooklawn/Gloucester) and freshman Derrin Minunni (Cohes, NY/Shaker) in the third inning tied the score at 2-2.   Boulden had three hits in the first game and Minunni had two.

Sophomore Laci Landrum (Grand Praire, Texas/So. Grand Praire) pitched the final three innings of relief for the win, her third.

In the second game, Towson scored three runs on three hits in the seventh inning to take a 5-2 lead.

Boulden hit an RBI double to tie the score at 2-2 in the second inning.

Junior Mandi Sekly (Canyon Country, CA/Canyon) hit an RBI single in the bottom of the first to cut the lead to 2-1, scoring Minunni, who doubled for her third hit of the day. Sekly had two of Rider’s first five hits in the second game.

Junior pitcher Jessica Holland (Hatboro, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) went four innings of relief, scattering four hits with one strikeout.  “Jess did a nice job,” said Carroll.  “She has a couple of balls in the last inning that had eyes and that happens sometimes.  But she kept us in the game and gave us a chance.  Actually all three pitchers did a nice job for us.”

Towson jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning on two singles, a walk and a sacrifice fly.

“These last couple of games, we are going to leave it all on the field,” Harris said.

Except for two at-bats in the first game and a pinch hit appearance in the second game, Rider was without junior Tiffany Day-Neutill, the first time she hasn’t started a game all season.  “Tiff is a little banged up,” said Carroll.  “She has a sore heel and had some trouble running in the outfield and Candice turned out to be a pretty nice sub.” 

The Broncs were also without freshman catcher Megan Kozlowski (Richboro, Pa./Council Rock-North) who has been ill for the last two days.  “We’re trying to get both Tiff and Megan back for the weekend conference games,” said Carroll.  “Having them get some rest today wasn’t a bad thing and we got to see what some of our other players can do at some different positions.”

“One of the things I like about the team is that they are still working hard and still trying to get better,” said Carroll.  “Despite our record, they are still giving their all and that’s all I can ask.  They are having fun, relaxing and playing the game.”

The Broncs will host Niagara on Saturday in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference doubleheader before finishing the season hosting the Gaels from Iona on Sunday.

-RU-