Rider scores 58 runs in explosive MAAC-opening sweep of Peacocks

By Benjamin Shinault

Runs were not hard to come by for Rider baseball as it started the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play on March 7 against the Saint Peter’s Peacocks in a three-game series. 

The Broncs’ runs-per-game-average of 10 is tied for 13th in the nation and the Broncs average of 11.3 hits per game is 19th.

Rider got off to a hot start in conference play as it traveled to Saint Peter’s. In game one, the Broncs put up 25 runs, the most the team has scored all season.

In the first inning alone, Rider put up eight runs. Half of those runs came off the bat of freshman infielder Peter Crespo when he sent a ball over the wall to give him the first grand slam of his collegiate career.

The other four runs were split between sophomore outfielder Kyle Neri, who had a two-run single and a fielder’s choice that scored one, and a junior outfielder Erich Hartmann single up the middle that scored a run.

Having some run support after a half inning, junior pitcher PJ Craig took to the mound for his third start of the year. Craig ran into some trouble in the bottom of the first inning, walking one, throwing a wild pitch and giving up a run but after that, Craig was able to accumulate five more innings giving up just six hits, two earned runs and four strikeouts.

Both teams had a standstill until the fourth inning when Neri put one over the fence to give the Broncs a 10-1 lead. The Broncs scored a few more runs by the end of the fifth to extend their commanding lead to 15-1. Rider continued to pour it on the Peacocks, seeing its lead swell to 25-2.

The Broncs’ 25 runs were the most the team have scored in a game since 2017, when they put up 28 runs against Saint Peter’s. 

With the Broncs up 25-4, the game was called due to darkness and was resumed the next day. Down by 21, the Peacocks did not stray away from a fight as they put up 13 runs, but the lead was too much to surmount and the final score was 25-17.

Rider’s offense wasn’t out of gas in game two as the Broncs won 16-8. The Broncs scored a run in each of the first four innings to go up 8-2. To reach that 8-2 lead, came from a solo homerun from sophomore infielder Joe Tiroly. 

On the mound for the Broncs was senior Brian Young. For the better half of his start, Young, drifted through Saint Peter’s lineup, finishing with six innings, allowed just two earned runs and struck out a 

season-high seven batters.

Following the exit of Young came another big blast from Tiroly, his second of the game, to give the Broncs a 13-3 lead. The Peacocks closed the gap to 13-8 coming from a two-run homerun and two RBI singles that scored three runs.

With the Broncs up by five entering the ninth, they added a few runs to the column coming off a Neri single to left field which scored one and a double from Crespo that brought around an additional two runs to cement the game at 16-8 to give Rider another series win. 

In search of their first series sweep of the year, the Broncs strided onto Jaroschak Field for game three of its opening MAAC series. Coming off two games where Rider scored a collective 41 runs, the Broncs were not stepping off the offensive gas pedal in the series finale.

Heading out to pitch for game three was junior pitcher Clayton Poliey, who let up a brutal attack by the Peacocks. Poliey recorded one out but not before Saint Peter’s scored seven runs on five hits, reached on a walk twice.

Coming to the rescue for the Broncs was sophomore pitcher Jake Dorety who recorded 5 2/3 innings pitched, allowed just two runs and struck out three. Dorety struggled with commanding his pitches, as he walked five but performed some damage control and helped Rider stay in the ballgame.

Offensively for the Broncs, the scoring started with a sophomore outfielder Griffin Puvel RBI double that put the Broncs on the board, 7-1 in the second inning. The Broncs’ pitching staff kept the Peacocks at seven runs which allowed Rider to storm back and take the lead, 8-7 by the conclusion of the fourth inning.

 In that surge of offense, was two home runs coming from Tiroly and Crespo. Tiroly, in his last five games, has hit six home runs, and Crespo has hit three home runs in his last four games. Tiroly and Crespo have surely brought the boom to Rider’s offense early in the year.

“Our offense is in a groove, and we’re putting up enough runs to win another big day out of Joe Tiroly. He has been driving in runs, but that is because we have guys doing their jobs and getting on base,” Lipinski told Rider Athletics.

With Rider up 8-7 entering the fifth, Saint Peter snagged the lead right back off a liner up the middle which scored two, giving the Peacocks a slight 9-8 lead. 

The lead stayed in favor of the Peacocks until the seventh inning when the Broncs flooded runs upon Saint Peter’s.

First, Hartmann hit a grand slam to put Rider up 12-9. Following came another home run, this time off the steaming bat of sophomore catcher Nick Shuhet. After some sloppy play by Saint Peter’s, the score ran to 17-9.

The ninth came and went as the Peacocks added a run off a sacrifice fly but the Broncs in their comeback win, swept the Peacocks on the road to win their fifth straight.

Rider now looks to continue its MAAC sovereignty, looking to defend Sonny Pittaro Field in a series against the Quinnipiac Bobcats.

Game one will start at 3 p.m. on March 14.