March 11, 2007 - Yale 9 Rider 1 / Dayton 2 Rider 0
March 11, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
College Softball
Yale University 9, Rider University 1
University of Dayton 2, Rider University 0
ORLANDO, FLA.—The Broncs lost the first two games at the Rebel Spring Games Sunday. “It was nice to get outside again and play,” said head coach Tricia Carroll. “I am disappointed that we lost both games but we were able to put some players where they are going to be this season and it was important to face live pitching and just be able to play.”
In the second game, Rider (1-6) was blanked by the Dayton Flyers 2-0. For the Broncs, freshman Megan Kozlowski (Richboro, Pa./Council Rock-North) had two of Rider’s four hits, including a double.
“Megan had a good understanding of the game,” Carroll said. “She is very coachable and she is playing with the maturity of an upperclassman.”
“I was just focused on going out there and playing the way I know how to play,” said Kozlowski, who is majoring in Biology at Rider. “I was focused on having fun and even though we are young and still adjusting to each other, I think we are improving and we came back and played better in the second game.”
Kozlowski had three of Rider’s nine hits in the two games. “Being outside for the first time in two weeks was an adjustment,” Kozlowski added. “It’s hard because in the gym you can’t work on all the things you want to but we just need to keep going out and playing hard.”
Junior Jessica Holland (Hatboro, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) took the loss, working a complete game, scattering six hits while recording two strikeouts.
“Jessica pitched well for us,” Carroll said. “She kept us in the game and gave us a chance to win and that’s what we need from her. We hit the ball hard the whole second game and hit it right at the Dayton players and they had a couple that just dropped in so it was that kind of day.”
The Flyers broke a 0-0 tie in the fourth inning on a two-out RBI single and added an insurance run on a one-out sacrifice fly in the sixth.
In game one, Rider fell to the Bulldogs of Yale 9-1. For the Broncs, freshman Derrin Minunni (Cohoes, N.Y./Shaker), who was the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Rookie of the Week the first week of the season, had a first inning RBI single, scoring senior Ashley Boulden (Brooklawn, N.J./Gloucester) who had reached on an error.
“It was hard not being outside pretty much since the Elon Tournament two weeks ago,” said Carroll. “But, I am not about to make excuses. These are Division I ball players and it’s a case of being a little more composed in live game action. We need to play with more poise and I told the players after the game that while I am happier with the way the second game went, we still lost and I am not satisfied because we lost.”
Down 1-0, Yale rallied with a five runs in the bottom of the first, added three in the fourth inning and ended the game on the eight-run rule with a single run in the fifth.
Sophomore Lauren Brunner (Chino, Calif./Chino) took the loss for the Broncs, recording two strikeouts.
“We know we need to play cleaner ball;” Carroll added. “On the Division I level, every mistake is taken advantage of. And that’s an adjustment that we are making with the newer players on the squad. Every mistake is magnified, missing cutoffs, not making a play, and with that, you have to maintain your composure and get the next play and not turn one mistake into a four or five run inning that puts you out of a game. And getting more games down here will help us do that and we can start picking up some wins. It’s not that they don’t have the ability, the things we are not doing can be corrected and we will continue to work on that. Maintaining composure will be the key in the things that they will be able to do. There is a fine line between urgency to make a play and panic and we are still working on that aspect of the game.”
The Broncs have lost five straight.
Rider stays in Florida playing George Washington and Cleveland State on Monday.
-RU-
