Broncs secure two wins in Marist matchup, remain MAAC leader

By Benjamin Shinault

Rider baseball played important games when they welcomed Marist University to Sonny Pittaro Field. Heading into the game, both teams were fighting for the top spot in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference standings, but by the end of the series, the Broncs created a bit more separation between the Red Foxes and picked up a series victory.

Rider then faced the New Jersey Institute of Technology on April 7, but fell on the road, 11-1.

‘It’s huge’

The three-game series began on April 2 with cool and cloudy conditions. Senior pitcher PJ Craig, coming off an eight-inning showcase against Canisius University on March 27, spun the ball well once again against the Red Foxes.

Craig, who tossed his first ever complete game, threw 126 total pitches, struck out nine batters and allowed just four hits.

“He wasn’t really stressed throughout the game,” Acting Head Coach Barry Davis said about Craig’s performance. “He did the job, he gave us a chance, he kept us in the game.”

Craig now sits in the top 10 for ERA, opposing batting average and strikeouts in the MAAC. 

The Broncs were able to get onto the Red Foxes early with an RBI single from junior catcher Nick Shuhet in the first inning to make it 1-0.

Later in the fifth inning, senior third baseman Will Gallagher added on with a two-run home run to left field, his second long ball of the season, to make the score 3-0.

The Red Foxes broke the spell that Craig put them under with an unearned run in the sixth inning to make it 3-1.

The Broncs then went on to score six unanswered runs, taking a commanding 9-1 lead.

A large chunk of the runs came from the bat of senior outfielder Anthony Paskell who launched a three-run home run over the left field wall.

“Other guys came up big too, just getting some guys on and then, the three-run shot was definitely good,” Paskell said.

Paskell is among the MAAC leaders in many categories, standing at sixth in runs scored, seventh in RBIs and fourth in home runs.

Leading 9-1 to enter the ninth inning, Marist was able to score a run off a bases-loaded walk, but that was it, as Craig closed the door and secured the win in game one, 9-3.

Game two for Rider started well, as Gallagher reached on a fielder’s choice to take a 1-0 first inning lead.

From there, Marist scored seven unanswered runs to lead 7-1 by the end of the eighth inning.

Rider scrummaged up two more runs from a Paskell RBI single to center field and a sacrifice fly from Shuhet, but Marist tied up the series 1-1 after an 8-3 victory.

The Broncs’ bats were still hot from the day before, as the team out-hit the Red Foxes 14-10, but left   many baserunners stranded.

In the rubber match, senior pitcher Clayton Poliey got the start and ran into some early trouble, letting up five hits and three earned runs.

Before Poliey could finish the first inning, Davis pulled him and slotted in senior pitcher Christian Aiello.

Aiello, from there, had his way with the Marist hitters, as he finished with six and two thirds innings pitched, allowed just two hits and struck out seven. The pitcher also scooped up his MAAC leading seventh win in the process.

“Aiello came in and did a great job to get us out of the first inning,” Davis said. “Then he proceeded to pitch shutout baseball the rest of the way.”

Down in a 3-0 hole through three innings, Rider broke free in the fourth inning and put up a run from a wild pitch.

Trailing 3-1, the Broncs crushed the ball in the seventh inning, as they scored eight runs.

During the seventh inning, sophomore infielder Eliot Medlock hit a two-run home run and freshman catcher Demetri Bardatsos hit his first career home run to put the icing on the cake.

Up 9-3, freshman pitcher Conner Flynn pitched two scoreless innings to close out the game and the series.

“It’s huge,” Davis said. “But you know, the magnitude will not show up until later in the season, so then we will really know how big it was.”

A game to forget

On April 7, the Broncs took on the New Jersey Institute of Technology for a midweek road matchup.

Toeing the mound for Rider was freshman pitcher Dylan Kane. Kane ran into some early trouble as he gave up four earned runs in his two innings of work.

Down 8-0 in the sixth inning, the Broncs were able to score a run, but the damage was already done.

NJIT would add three more runs to make the final score 11-1.

The Broncs will put the NJIT matchup in their rear view as they look toward the semi-final round of the Liberty Bell Classic against Saint Joseph’s University on April 8. First pitch will be at 3 p.m. in Philadelphia.