Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. (April 23, 2025)--The Morgan State softball team concluded its 2025 non-conference schedule with a midweek doubleheader at Rider on Wednesday afternoon at Herb/Joan Young Field.
 
The Lady Bears would earn a split, falling to the Broncs in the opener 4-0, before returning the favor with a 1-0 shutout victory in unique fashion.
 
After dropping the opening game to match a season-long eight game losing streak, the Lady Bears were then no-hit in the nightcap. However, they still managed to win the game despite not recording a hit.
 
The Broncs outhit Morgan State 12-3 in the two games and committed a total of three errors as opposed to one error for the Lady Bears.
 
Morgan State improved to 14-27 on the season, while Rider dropped to 18-28. The Lady Bears lead the all-time series, 7-4, dating back to the 2014 season. But the Broncs have won four of the last five meetings.
 
How It Happened
Game 1
The Broncs got on the board in the bottom of the second inning, when Shelby Dyer hit a two-run double to right center to give the hosts a 2-0 lead.
 
Rider went back to work with two more runs in the fourth when Abby Cruz homered to left field and Olivia Burroughs homered to left center to put the Broncs ahead 4-0.
 
Cruz finished 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI, while Burroughs went 1-for-2 with a run and RBI. Dyer had a hit and drove in a game-high 2 RBI, while Aspen Wheeler was 1-for-3 with a run to pace the Broncs.
 
Millie Cousins, Morgan Alvarez and Fletcher all recorded a hit for Morgan State.
 
Rider pitcher Anna Marie Groskritz (9-8) pitched all seven innings and recorded a game-high eight strikeouts.
 
Serena Rodriguez (7-13) pitched five innings for the Lady Bears and tallied three strikeouts in the loss.
 
Game 2
The two teams played to a scoreless tie until the top of the sixth inning when the Lady Bears broke through with an unearned run, which proved to be the difference. Amber Rivas was hit by a pitch and Cassie White came in to pinch run for her. A sacrifice bunt by Victoria Fletcher, moved White to second. Gianna Ettore stepped to the plate with two outs and reached base on a fielding error on the Rider shortstop, which allowed White to score what would be the game winner.
 
Despite going the distance and pitching a no-hitter, Rider's Kathryn Schmierer would fall to 5-13 in the circle, as Morgan State earned a 1-0 victory in the finale.
 
Schmierer would pitch all seven innings, surrendering one run on no hits and a walk, while striking out five batters. It was the 16^th no-hitter in Rider softball history and the first seven-inning no-hitter in 25 years.
 
Fletcher got the win for the Lady Bears and improved to 7-13 on the season. Fletcher also went the distance, surrendering no runs on six hits and tossing a game-high six strikeouts in seven innings.  
 
On Deck
Morgan State will close out the regular season this weekend when they visit crosstown rival Coppin State (3-25, 3-15 MEAC) for the final Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) series of the 2025 regular season. The two teams will meet in a doubleheader on Saturday, April 26 beginning at 1 p.m. and will conclude with a single-game on Sunday, April 27 at noon. All three games will be played at the Coppin State Softball Complex.
 
 
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ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering nearly 140 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, and the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.