NASHUA, N.H. – The Rivier softball team secured a spot in the South Pod winners bracket following a 4-2 victory over Saint Joseph's (Maine) on Wednesday afternoon.
The Raiders will now travel to face top-seeded Albertus Magnus in the winners' bracket (Game 3B) on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. at Shea Softball Complex in New Haven, Conn.
Senior classmates Hayley Rapaglia and Avry Nelson led the offensive effort against Saint Joseph's (Maine), going 2-for-3 and 2-for-4 at the plate, respectively. Senior Kylee Caetano, Senior Olivia Couto, and junior Liv Harnish each added a hit to round out the Raiders' offensive surge.
In the circle, junior Hailey Berube delivered a complete-game performance, tossing all seven innings while allowing just four hits and facing 37 batters.
Albertus Magnus advanced to the winners' bracket with a 9-1 win over No. 4 Lasell. The Falcons enter the matchup at 22-16 overall and 14-4 in GNAC play, boasting a .315 team batting average, .410 on-base percentage, and .446 slugging percentage.
Key players for the Falcons include sophomore Mikaela Schwippert (.377), junior Reilly Austin (.377), sophomore Karla Carangelo (.368), and first-year Amelia Ovalles (.353). In the circle, senior Annabelle Jabs leads the staff with 105.1 innings pitched and an average of 6.98 strikeouts per game, while Ovalles and Carangelo have logged 46.0 and 45.1 innings, respectively.
The winner of Game 3B will advance to the Pod Finals (Game 6B) on Sunday morning, while the loser will drop into an elimination game (Game 5B) scheduled for Saturday at 4:00 p.m.
