Raiders Take a Pair From Newbury

Nashua, NH – In game one Catherine Roy (Dracut, MA) hit 2 homeruns and in game two Karen Waterman (Rutland, VT) hit one as the Rivier College Raiders swept a softball double header tonight against Newbury College.

The Raiders got on the board early in the first game as Roy and Lauren Beatty (Sherman, CT) each doubled in the inning and the Raiders were able to push two runs across in the bottom of the first inning. The Nighthawks responded in the top of the second when Brittany Stracher (Dudley, MA) hit a 2-run homer over the right-center fence to tie the game. The Raiders went right back on top in the bottom half of the frame when Amanda Thornton (Hanover, MA) started things off with a single and Britnii Dyer (Douglas, MA) knocked her home with a triple to right field. Dyer scored on a groundout by Emily Mandigo (Norwell, MA) and two batters later Roy hit her first of two homeruns to put the home team up 5-2.

Newbury got 1 run back in the top half of the third, but Rivier's bats were still red hot and the Raiders added 4 more runs in the bottom half highlighter by doubles from Waterman and Dyer. Up 9-3, the Raiders held the Nighthawks scoreless in the top of the fourth inning and then exploded for 7 runs in the bottom of the inning, including a 3 run homer by Roy, her second. Starting Pitcher Nadjeska Reynolds (Hamden, CT) held the Nighthawks in the top of the fifth inning for the 16-3 complete game victory.

The Raiders got 16 runs on 15 hits with 1 error in the game while the Nighthawks scored 3 runs on 8 hits with 3 errors. Joanna Robie (Andover, MA) pitched for the Nighthawks and took the loss.

In the second game of the double header, starting pitcher Hillary Tarr (North Easton, MA) held Newbury scoreless for the first two innings while Rivier scored 4 runs in the first on Waterman's 3 run homerun, which ended up being more than enough support for the freshman pitcher. Newbury got on the board in the third inning after a single by Theresa Hylinski (Stratford, CT) and a double by Joanna Robie to drive in a run, but that would be the only blemish on Tarr for the night as she scattered 5 hits and struck out 8 batters in a complete game effort on the night.

The Raiders would add a run in the fourth inning on a leadoff walk to Waterman, who would eventually score, and two more runs in the sixth on a Roy triple that scored Dyer and an Amanda Ryan single to drive in Roy to finish the game 7-1. The Raiders had 7 runs on 6 hits with no errors while the Nighthawks picked up 1 run on 5 hits with 1 error. Nighthawks pitcher Rebecca Roach (Charlton, MA) pitched well, giving up 7 runs, 4 earned, in 6 innings. The sophomore struck out 11 batters and gave up 7 walks.

The Raiders will play again on Thursday night in a GNAC double header against Norwich University with the first game scheduled for 4:30 PM.