WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. - The Monmouth University softball team split a nonconference doubleheader with Rider University on Thursday afternoon, dropping the first game, 2-1 before winning the second contest, 13-0 in five innings. The Hawks move to 24-16 after the twinbill, while the Broncs are now 12-29-1.
In the first game, MU starter Melissa Mehrer (Florence, N.J. /Florence Township) came out on the wrong side of a pitcher's duel with Rachael Matreale despite not allowing an earned run. In the second game, the Hawks jumped all over Rider, scoring 10 runs in the second inning en route to the mercy-rule win.
The Broncs got a two-out, two-RBI double from Heather Muscara in the top of third frame of the first game which would hold up. MU would get one on the board in the bottom of third when junior Emily deLong (Rothschild, Wisc. /DC Everest) drove home freshman Christine Scherr (Nazareth, Pa. /Nazareth Area) with a single, but it's all the offense the Hawks could muster in the first game, falling 2-1.
Senior Jessica Nicola (South Amboy, N.J. /Sayreville War Memorial) was the only Hawk to log a multi-hit game in the first contest, going 2-for-4. She just missed out on tying the game in the bottom of the seventh when her two-out shot to left center fell two feet short of going over the fence, instead settling for a double.
Mehrer pitched a complete-game, scattering nine hits. She struck out five and walked two, falling to 14-8 with the tough-luck loss.
In the second game, every MU starter had at least one hit and either a run scored or a RBI in the 13-0 win.
Scherr went a perfect 2-for-2 in the leadoff spot, scoring a pair of runs. Classmate Tish Derer (Philadelphia, Pa. /Saint Basil Academy) went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored, while Nicola added a RBI double and scored two runs. deLong scored two runs, senior Alexa Ferrara (West Caldwell, N.J /James Caldwell) went 2-for-2 with two runs scored and a RBI and junior Dara Palms (Humble, Tex. /Humble) went 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored.
Freshman Kate Kuzma (Freehold, N.J. /Colts Neck) added a two-RBI single in the second, sophomore Colleen Kelly (Tallmadge, Ohio /Tallmadge) added a RBI and run scored and freshman Kayla Weiser (Vandergrift, Pa. /Kiski Area) had a hit and a run scored.
Sophomore Lauren Sulick (Canfield, Ohio /Canfield) joined Mehrer in double-digit wins, improve to 10-6 with the win. She pitched all five innings, giving up three hits, striking out six and not walking a batter.
Monmouth returns to action on Sunday when it hosts Mount St. Mary's at 12:00 pm in a Northeast Conference twinbill. MU will celebrate its Senior Day before the game, honoring Ferrara and Nicola with a brief ceremony.
