Rider simmers down, wins series at Marist

By Benjamin Shinault

After losing the Liberty Bell Classic to Delaware and seeing its winning streak dissipate, Rider baseball had to shift its focus to its Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference rivals, the Marist Red Foxes. 

In the series, the Broncs put up 30 runs over the course of three games and by the end of it, Rider sits at second in the MAAC.

A season high 

On April 12, the Broncs kicked off the Marist series fresh off a blowout defeat at the hands of the Delaware Blue Hens 18-2 in the Liberty Bell Classic on April 10. Two days later, Rider put up a season-high 17 runs on the Red Foxes to win 17-12. 

The Broncs also had a season-high 19 hits, with only one member of the starting lineup not recording a hit. With all that considered, Marist’s offense was not too far behind Rider’s fantastic day at the dish with 12 runs and 15 hits. All in all, the baseballs that day must have looked like beach balls to the hitters.

Sophomore pitcher PJ Craig was the starting pitcher for Rider. Craig gave up nine hits, eight earned runs and five walks, but he was still able to give the Broncs five innings. With Craig’s tough day on the mound, Rider’s bullpen was able to pick him up and only allow four more runs and six more hits over the next four innings of the game.

Sophomore outfielder Erich Hartmann had five hits on the day and graduate student first baseman Luke Lesch followed close behind with three. Senior catcher Brian Skettini had two hits but also had five RBIs coming from an RBI double to left field that scored two in the third inning, a fielder’s choice that got two runners across and then a solo home run in the eighth inning to secure the win. 

Eleven straight wins

Another day, another MAAC win for the Broncs. After defeating the Red Foxes 17-12, Rider came out and instilled dominance once again over the Red Foxes with an 8-3 victory on April 13 to extend their MAAC winning streak to 11. 

Differently than the first matchup between these two teams, Rider’s pitching was the star of the show this time around as junior pitcher Brian Young took to the mound at McCann Field in Poughkeepsie, New York. Young had total control over Marist as he finished the day with seven strikeouts, seven innings pitched and only four allowed hits. 

“A well-pitched game day by B.Y. [Young],” Head Coach Barry Davis said. 

Over Young’s last four starts, he has thrown 23 innings, allowed just eight earned runs and struck out 23 batters. The Broncs have won three of those four games. 

A day after a two-hit and four-RBI performance, junior catcher Matt Shepherd equalized the day after with a three-hit performance. Some offensive spark plugs for the Broncs in game two of the series, were freshman infielder Joe Tiroly who had a two-run home run in the top of the ninth and graduate student infielder Jack Winsett, who had two base hits. 

‘We’ve battled all weekend’

Rider’s program’s best start to its MAAC schedule came to a halt after 11 wins on April 14 when the Broncs lost to Marist 6-5. The team had plenty of fight toward the end as it put up five runs in the top of the ninth while they were down by six, but they came up just short.

The game was started by sophomore pitcher Clayton Poliey who threw five innings, allowed just five hits and one earned run and struck out four. Rider’s pitching as a whole only allowed six hits in total and struck out seven. Poliey was relieved by sophomore pitcher Christian Aiello, who allowed no hits in his two innings on the mound.

“We pitched well,” David said. “Poliey and Aiello were outstanding.”

Rider’s offense was dormant for the whole game until the top of the ninth, when it put up its only runs of the game. Those runs came from RBI singles from Winsett and freshman infielder Matt Leahy and RBI doubles from freshman outfielder Kyle Neri and sophomore outfielder Anthony Paskell. 

“A late rally fell short, but I like our team and where we are,” Davis said to Rider Athletics. 

Rider has a chance to build up its winning streak once more when it takes on the Princeton Tigers on April 17 at 3 p.m. 

The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.