Softball continues their Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) win streak with two more wins against Rider University this past Friday, improving their record to an undefeated 4-0 in MAAC play.
Senior right-handed pitcher Amanda Riley pitched yet another shutout game, striking out 12 batters and breaking the program record of 497 strikeouts by increasing it to 543. Nine different athletes got hits during the home openers, and strong performances were seen by freshman right-handed pitcher Lilly Robles as well as sophomore first baseman Kayla Rosado and senior infielder Alex Holzman, who each got three hits in game one.
During the bottom of the fourth inning in game one, Rosado hit a single to the right side, then Holzman belted a double to left center that barely missed a home run, but got sophomore outfielder Amber Wozniak in for an RBI. Wozniak scored again in the bottom of the sixth after sophomore shortstop Deangie Jimenez singled to left field with two outs left.
Riley only gave up three hits in the entirety of game one, and the Hawks came out on top with the 3-0 win. Head Coach Shannon Salsburg praises pitcher after the win. “She works hard, and it’s not just on the field. It’s off the field as well, including her nutrition and studying the game. She’s grown so much in my three years with her, and she deserves what she’s getting,” she said.
In game two, the Hawks continued to shine. They had an explosive first inning with four runs. Sophomore outfielder Sam Tomasetti and senior outfielder Chloe Howerth both led off with walks, then Rosado worked her magic, hit a single to left field, and scored Tomasetti. Rosado then stole second base and Wozniak walked, followed by Holzman who came through to score both of them with a single to right center. Then sophomore outfielder Jasmine Higa hit an RBI groundout to make the score 4-0.
Rider scored a run during the beginning of the second inning, but Monmouth stayed ahead with another run off of an RBI double hit by Rosado, making the score 5-1. Rider scored two more runs in the bottom of the sixth to advance their score 5-3, but two runs were scored in response to Howerths groundout RBI and senior Katie Baron’s RBI single.
Despite the Rider Broncs getting a run in during the top of the seventh inning, Robles ended the game with a ground out and a pop up.
Salsburg commented on the team’s performance in the double-header games, “It was great to see us battle against different pitchers today. From our first batter to our ninth, everyone made a difference in our lineup. I’m proud of how we played and the fact that everyone showed up. It’s very early in the MAAC season, but that’s what it’s going to take. Every game matters, so we’ll take these two [wins] and get ready for next week.”
The Hawks will continue conference play as they will face Manhattan in a doubler header on Saturday. First pitch for game one is at 12:00 p.m. in West Long Branch.
PHOTO TAKEN by Karlee Sell
