NASHUA, N.H. – The 2025 Rivier softball season came to a close on Saturday afternoon at Raider Diamond as the No. 1N Raiders came up short against No. 2S Albertus Magnus in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Pod A play, falling by a final score of 3-2.
The Raiders finished with an overall record of 22-15, while the Falcons advanced to the GNAC Pod A final with a record of 27-16.
Due to inclement weather in the Greater Nashua area, the remainder of Pod A play will be held in Connecticut, with No. 3S Saint Joseph set to host on Sunday, May 4. For more information, click here.
It was a pitchers' duel to begin the contest as both squads were held scoreless through the first four innings of action, with only six combined hits recorded over that span.
Rivier broke the deadlock in the top of the fifth inning, jumping out to a 2-0 lead. Sophomore Hailey Berube recorded her first hit of the season down the right field line in just her second at-bat to kick things off for the Raiders. Graduate student Kayla Miles contributed a base knock of her own in the following at-bat, putting runners on first and second. A walk drawn by junior Hayley Rapaglia loaded up the bases for graduate student Hannah Muchemore, who recorded an RBI single to third, bringing home the game's first tally. With the bases still loaded and two outs, junior Kylee Caetano snuck a hit through the left side to score Miles, giving Rivier a two-run advantage.
Albertus Magnus wasted no time responding, tying the game up again in the bottom half of the frame on an RBI double to left center off the bat of Isabelle Smith.
The Falcons built on their momentum in the fifth inning and scored the eventual game-winning run in the bottom of the sixth inning off an RBI base hit from Amelia Boulli, which gave them a 3-2 lead.
Rivier threatened with runners on the corners in the top half of the seventh inning but was unable to bring them home in a last-ditch effort, falling just short.
In addition to her first hit of the season, Berube pitched all seven innings, four of them scoreless, and retired four batters via strikeout bringing her season total to a career-best 65 strikeouts.
Offensively, Caetano and Miles led the team with two hits each with Caetano knocking in one of the two Rivier runs.
Under the leadership of second-year head coach Noelle Sass, Rivier closed the season with its best record since the 2012 campaign and looks to continue to build upon its success in 2026.
