Rosenberger Swats Homer, Strikes Out 15 Bulldogs

Senior Samantha Rosenberger swatted a solo home run at the plate and struck out 15 Freedom Bulldogs on the mound Wednesday as the Lady Panthers defeated Freedom 8-4.

Riverside raced out to an 8-0 advantage before the host Bulldogs gathered four runs in the bottom half of the sixth inning.

Left fielder Danielle Rosenberger collected four singles to lead the Panthers offensively while Camryn Friello collected three hits. Rosenberger added three steals. Second baseman Aliya Ottaviani collected a team-high three RBIs for Riverside.  The Panthers scored a run in each of its first six innings offensively.

On the mound, Rosenberger, a Barry University commit, struck out 15 batters while allowing five hits, one walk and one earned run across her complete game performance.

💣💣💣💣 @ecdotorg @teampafastpitch @TribLiveHSSN @h_kathios19 @CoachIaquinto pic.twitter.com/F35fETMKba

— Samantha Rosenberger (@samrosenberger5) April 20, 2023

Riverside (6-1 Overall, 5-1 Section 1-2A) next will host rival Ellwood City on Thursday with a 4:00 p.m. varsity start. The game will feature both teams supporting the local Club Hope Foundation. Each team will wear a shade of purple and the game will feature a pizza wagon on site for dinner, drinks and snacks. Riverside players supporting will wear a dark purple jersey for the night and Ellwood City players supporting will wear a light purple jersey.

Donation cans will also be sent around throughout the night to collect donations that go directly to Club Hope Foundation.

“It’s been several years since we’ve squared off vs cross-town rivals,” says coach Gerilynn Cummings. “It’s the first time our Seniors will get to play Ellwood City, and ever more exciting to show support for Club Hope.”

Ellwood City will enter the rivalry contest at 7-2 overall after its furious comeback on Saturday came up short against Central Valley.  The Wolverines defeated Riverside way back in 2018 by a score of 15-2.

“We know Ellwood is a tough team and even though they’re a 3A team, we expect it to be a tight game,” adds Cummings. “We respect their athletes but believe we can win.”