FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 16, 2007

Burgess & Riley Earn Little East Weekly Softball Accolades

Providence, RI—Rhode Island College sophomore second baseman Justine Burgess (Uxbridge, MA) and senior pitcher Nicole Riley (North Providence, RI) were honored by the Little East Conference for their performance in softball last week.

Burgess was named the Little East Conference Softball Player of the Week. Burgess paced the Rhode Island College offensive attack with a .667 batting average (10-for-15), to go along with 10 RBIs and seven runs scored as the Anchorwomen posted a record of 6-0, including a 2-0 mark in the conference circuit, this past week. She was white-hot from the dish in Little East Conference action, hitting a blistering six-for-eight (.750) with six RBIs and four runs scored as Rhode Island College swept a doubleheader from UMass Boston, 19-0 and 10-5 on Apr. 14. In 17 games this season, Burgess is batting .419 (18-for-43) to go along with 14 runs scored, three doubles, one triple and a team-high 17 RBI.

Riley was named the Little East Conference Softball Co-Pitcher of the Week. She broke the NCAA Division III softball record for consecutive victories with her 36th straight win against Roger Williams on April 9, breaking the previous standard set by Janet Nagle of St. Thomas (Minn.). Riley hurled a complete-game gem, striking out six, while allowing only one hit in five innings. The following afternoon, she fired her second career perfect game as Rhode Island College blanked Lasell, 4-0. Riley matched her second-highest single-game strikeout total with 13 to earn her first collegiate seven-inning no-hitter in the win. In the Little East circuit, she registered a pair of victories and fanned 12 batters in just eight innings of work as the Anchorwomen swept UMass Boston, 19-0 and 10-5. Riley posted a 5-0 mark on the week to raise the national consecutive victories standard to 40. She is currently 17-0 with a 0.41 ERA and 122 strikeouts in 103.2 innings of work.

Head Coach Maria Morin’s Anchorwomen are currently 22-2 overall, 4-0 in the Little East Conference and ranked No. 17 in the nation. Rhode Island College has won its last 17 games and 22 of its last 23.

In upcoming action, Rhode Island College will host UMass Dartmouth tomorrow afternoon at 3:30 p.m.

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