Rider (8-17, 1-2 MAAC) – 0
Monmouth (11-13, 3-0 MAAC) – 3
 
Rider (8-18, 1-3 MAAC) – 4
Monmouth (12-13, 4-0 MAAC) – 7  
 
 
 
WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ  – Behind another complete game shutout from senior Amanda Riley in game one and three hits each from senior Alex Holzman and sophomore Kayla Rosado on the day, the Monmouth University softball team swept Rider today, earning 3-0 and 7-4 wins. The Hawks improved to 4-0 in MAAC play, as the team saw strong performances from Riley and freshman pitcher Lilly Robles. Nine different Monmouth athletes picked up a hit in the home openers, led by Holzman's three RBI. Riley struck out 12 batters for the second straight conference game in the first contest, and improved to 2-0 in MAAC play. Monmouth will travel to Princeton on Tuesday before returning to conference play on Saturday, April 14 against Manhattan.  
 
NOTES
"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 and get ready for next week." – Monmouth head coach Shannon Salsburg
"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." – Salsburg on Riley
-In game one, Rosado singled through the right side in the bottom of the fourth. After sophomore Amber Wozniak reached on a fielder's choice, Holzman belted a double to left center that barely missed a home run for the RBI.
-In the bottom of the sixth, Wozniak singled through the left side then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Holzman then singled to advance her to third. After a groundout, sophomore Deangie Jimenez singled to left field with two outs to score Wozniak.
-Riley gave up just three hits in game one, as the Hawks ran away with the 3-0 victory.
-In game two, Monmouth exploded for four runs in the first frame. Sophomore Sam Tomasetti and senior Chloe Howerth led off with walks, and Rosado singled to left field to score Tomasetti. After Rosado stole second and Wozniak walked, Holzman came through with a two-RBI single to right center. Sophomore Jasmine Higa then registered an RBI groundout to make it 4-0.
-After Rider got a run back in the top of the second, Monmouth went ahead 5-1 in the bottom of the second from a Rosado RBI double.
-Rider scored two runs in the top of the third to make it 5-3, but the Hawks went up 7-3 in the bottom of the sixth with a Howerth RBI groundout and senior Katie Baron's RBI single.
-Despite the Broncs getting a run across in the top of the seventh, Robles ended the game with a ground out and pop up.
 
NUMBERS CRUNCH
-Riley increased her program record to 543 career strikeouts (the previous record was 497). She pitched her seventh complete game of the season, and lowered her ERA to 2.86. In two MAAC games this season, she is 2-0 with 14.0 innings pitched, three hits, zero earned runs, and 24 strikeouts.
-Robles pitched 4.1 relief innings in game two, giving up just one earned run for the win. She improved to 3-5 on the season.
-Holzman went 3-for-5 on the day with three RBI.
-Rosado went 3-for-7 on the day with two RBI.
-Wozniak scored three runs on the day.
-Freshman Katie Harrington registered her first career triple in game two.
-Baron leads the team with a .420 average, 34 hits, and 21 RBI.
-Howerth leads the team with 20 runs on the season.
 
UP NEXT
The Hawks will travel to in-state foe Princeton on Tuesday for a single game. First pitch is scheduled for 4:00 PM.