Broncs snatch crucial series win over Fairfield, defeat Seton Hall late

By Benjamin Shinault

In the midst of chasing back-to-back Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference regular season championships, Rider baseball continued its hot streak in conference play, as they were able to secure two wins in its three-game series against Fairfield University. With the series victory, Rider continues to maintain sole possession of first place in the MAAC standings. Rider then hit the road on April 14 for a North Jersey matchup with Seton Hall University.

‘The kids battled’

Game one on April 10 did not go the way Rider planned. By the end of the first inning, Rider fell into a 6-0 hole after four home runs.

Following the rough first inning by senior pitcher PJ Craig, he was able to find a groove, only allowing one more additional run. By the end of his start, Craig finished with five innings pitched, seven earned runs, five strikeouts and eight hits.

Rider was able to scoop up a run in the second inning off a wild pitch to make it 6-1, but in the very next inning, the Stags grabbed the run right back and put themselves up by six runs once again.

Later on, in the seventh inning, two more runs were brought across the plate after a sophomore               first baseman Charley Magoulick two-run home run closed the gap to 7-3, but Fairfield also brought across two more runs to seal the deal in game one.

For game two, it started out similar to game one, as Fairfield got out to an early lead with a solo home run. Down 2-0 in the fourth inning, the Broncs scored their first run of the game off a freshman catcher Demetri Bardatsos single to right field.

The Stags then, in the fourth inning, collected that run back with a double to right field. With the score now 3-1 in favor of the Stags, the Broncs turned up the heat the rest of the way.

Starting in the fifth inning with the bases loaded, Bardatsos was nailed by a pitch to bring in a run. Also in the fifth, a bases-loaded walk brought in another. 

With the game tied at 3-3, the Broncs scored six more unanswered runs to secure a 6-3 win and a position to win the series.

In the midst of the game two victory,  junior catcher Nick Shuhet collected his   100th career hit. Shuhet, in game two alone, racked up four hits, two RBIs and a walk.

For the rubber match, Acting Head Coach Barry Davis turned to senior pitcher Clayton Poliey for the start.

The Broncs’ offense did not sputter in the first inning, as senior outfielder Erich Hartmann got things started with a home run to right field.

Then, in the second inning, Shuhet followed it up with a home run of his own. Shuhet and Hartmann combined for six  hits and four runs in game three.

Down 2-0, the Stags did not waiver, as they went on to score seven runs and put themselves up 7-2 in the third inning.

With the series in the balance, Magoulick stepped up to the plate and crushed his fifth home run of the season to bring Rider within three runs.

With the score 7-4, the Broncs were able to tie the game in the sixth inning after senior outfielder Anthony Paskell stole home and a junior infielder  Matt Leahy single scored two more.

Paskell’s day was not short of highlight-worthy, as earlier in the game, he climbed the outfield fence and robbed the Stags of a home run.

Now tied at 7-7 and the innings coming and going, the game went into extras, adding more fuel to the fire.

After pristine pitching from the Broncs’ bullpen, particularly from freshman pitcher Conner Flynn, Rider held on until the 13th inning, when junior outfielder Kyle Neri shot a ball up the middle, scoring Hartmann and senior third baseman Will Gallagher.

“I just trusted my stuff,” Flynn said. “Our field is really good, I just let them [Fairfield] hit to them [Rider] and it usually works out.”

Securing the series wins in back-to-back weeks against Marist University and Fairfield was huge. 

“It’s real big, considering that they’re at the top of the league with us,” Davis said. “The kids battled, it was a good team win,” Davis said.

Clutch hitting, clutch pitching

After some late-game clutch hitting and pitching, the Broncs were able to take home a mid-week victory over Seton Hall, 3-2. 

Seven different pitchers threw for Rider in a well-pitched matchup. As a unit, the Broncs pitching staff only surrendered six hits, one earned run and struck out eight. 

Rider’s offense was limited, much different from the  prior Fairfield series.

Collecting hits for the Broncs were Hartmann, Shuhet and Paskell. 

Shuhet continued his strong week with his two hits, plus a two-run double in the seventh inning, which ended up being the game-decider.

The Broncs will get right back to work with a matchup against Princeton University on April 15. Then, Rider welcomes Manhattan University in a three-game home series, beginning on April 17.