Rivier's Avry Nelson had five RBIs on the day Monday as the Raiders got two wins to start their season in Leesburg, Fla. (Photo courtesy of Rivier Athletics)

Hayley Rapaglia scored on a passed ball in the bottom of the eighth inning to give the Rivier University softball team a great start to the season, 3-2 over Concordia-Moorehead on Monday in Florida.

Also, the Raiders slugged their way past Sage, 14-12, to get two wins on the day.

Avery Nelson went 3 for 4 with an RBI for the Raiders, who got a hit and an RBI from Kylee Caetano and two hits from Olivia Couto. Rapaglia’s run made a winner out of Hailey Berube, who went eight innings with seven strikeouts, walking three and allowing six hits.

In their other game, the Raiders outhit Sage 17-10 but had to hold on after Sage got five runs in the bottom of the seventh. Reliever Courtney Marioles went five innings, allowing seven runs (four earned) but got Sage’s Serina Garmendiz to pop out with the tying runs in scoring position.

Riv broke it open with three in the third and six in the fourth, and Avery Nelson had another two hits and three RBIs, giving her five hits and four RBIs on the day.

Hayleigh Silva, though, had a big game, going 4 for 5 wth an RBI and three runs. Sophia Quinlan had two hits an scored three runs as well. Only half of the Rivier runs were earned.

The Raiders take on St. Vincent at 12:15 and Elizabethtown at 2:30 p.m. today at the Sleepy Hollow Complex in Leesburg, Fla.

BASEBALL

JOHN JAY 15, RIVIER 10

Rivier baseball fell into a 4-0 hole in the top of the first and was unable to mount a successful comeback as John Jay held on on Monday afternoon at the Myrtle Beach (S.C.) High School Field as part of The Ripken Experience.

The Raiders fell to 2-1 on the young season as the Bloodhounds improved to 2-5.

Trailing 5-0 in the bottom of the fifth, the Raiders got on the board as Owen Medlock drove a single to left field to break up the no-hit bid and push Luis Colon across the plate.

In the sixth, Rivier cut the deficit to five runs as a wild pitch to the backstop allowed Frank Gulezian to score from second.

Quentin Bowman blew the lead open in the top of the seventh as he launched a ball over the fence in right center for a three-run shot to make it 10-2 in favor of the designated road team.

The Raiders would respond with an offensive surge in the bottom half, scoring four runs on five hits and a costly Bloodhounds error to make it a 10-6 ballgame. Medlock, Kyle Hsu, and Ben O’Connell each recorded an RBI while Dylan Aliberti reached on an error which pushed Alex Gallicano to the dish.

Patrick Young came in for a relief appearance in the eighth with two on and one out. After recording a strikeout and a walk Young got out of the bases loaded jam with a strikeout, sending his team back to bat still trailing by four runs.

Coming up to the plate with two outs and runners on first and second, Hsu found the gap in left center field to push in a pair of runs and make it 10-8.

Five runs from the Bloodhounds in the top of the ninth made it 15-8. Riv would add two runs to its total on a Colon homer in the bottom half, but that would not be enough as John Jay held on for the victory.

Nate Bonacorsi was handed the loss after allowing four earned runs over 1.2 innings pitched. The Raiders used five relievers in the contest.

Rivier will continue its Spring Break slate on Tuesday against regional opponent Bridgewater St. with a noon first pitch scheduled from Griffith Field.

(Telegraph Staff Writer Tom King contributed to this report.)

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