College Baseball
Rider University 6, University of Maryland Eastern Shore 2
Rider University 11, University of Maryland Eastern Shore 6
PRINCESS ANNE, MD?The Broncs swept a doubleheader at UMES Monday with a pair of come-from-behind victories, improving to 3-0 on the season. It is the first time Rider is 3-0 since the 1991 season. “We're very happy to be 3-0,” said Rider head coach Barry Davis. “It is a good start.”
In the first game, junior Sean Olson (Vineland, N.J./St. Augustine Prep) hit a two-run single in the top of the seventh inning to give Rider a 5-2 lead and scored on a double by freshman Mason Heyne (Shrewsbury, Pa./Susquehannock), Heyne's second RBI double of the game, for the final score.
“Olson was big today,” Davis said. “That's why we have him batting in the three hole.”
Rider took a 3-2 lead in the fourth inning, scoring three runs on three hits. Olson reached base on an error and scored on a double by Heyne to get Rider on the board. Heyne scored on a double by junior Maurice Williams (Ocean, N.J./Monmouth Regional), tying the score at 2-2, and Williams scored on an RBI single by sophomore Eric Woodrow (Hamilton, N.J./Hamilton West) to take a 3-2 lead.
Junior Dan Sasso (Bordentown, N.J./Bordentown) pitched two scoreless innings of relief, striking out one for the victory. Sophomore Kris Brown (Vineland, N.J./Vineland) struck out five batters in his two innings of work for the save. “Brown has real good stuff,” Davis said. “It was good for him to come into the game in a tight situation like that. Striking out five, you can't ask for much better than that.”
Pitching for the first time since March 12, 2006 due to ?Tommy John' surgery, junior Derek Caldwell (Allentown, Pa./Salisbury) started and threw three innings, allowing two runs on four hits and three walks while striking out one. “First time he pitched in two years,” Davis said. “He was a little rusty but it was good to have him back out there.”
Freshman Steve Galella (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./G.A.R. Memorial) had two of Rider's eight hits in the first game, and had two more hits in the second game.
In the second game Olson hit an RBI single in the top of the ninth inning to break a 6-6 tie. junior James Hayes (Sunrise, Fla./Piper) hit a one-out single, stole second and scored the go ahead run. It was Olson's third RBI of the game and the fifth of the doubleheader. “Olson had a lot of opportunities today,” Davis said. “It seemed like every time he came up we had runners on base.”
Hayes came in and pitched the ninth inning, striking out all three batters he faced.
Woodrow hit a sacrifice fly for a 9-6 Rider lead and freshman John Ralston (Annandale, Va./Paul VI) followed with a two-run single. UMES had tied the score at 6-6 in the eighth inning on three consecutive singles and a balk.
Freshman A.J. Albee (Ashley, Pa./Hanover Area) hit an RBI single in the fifth inning to give the Broncs a 5-4 lead, and hit an RBI single in the seventh for a 6-4 Bronc lead. It was Albee's third hit of the game.
“Our young guys did well,” Davis said of Albee, Galella and Heyne. “They put the ball in play, hit it the other way.”
In the fourth inning Olson hit a bases loaded single, scoring two, and Heyne followed with a sacrifice fly to tie the score at 4-4.
Junior Jimmer Kennedy (Levittown, Pa./Holy Ghost Prep) pitched six innings and allowed two earned runs, striking out four while walking one with no decision, leaving the game with a 6-4 lead.
UMES scored three runs in the second inning on three hits and a Rider error to take a 4-1 lead. The Broncs tied the score at 1-1 in the top of the second inning when Hayes grounded into a bases loaded fielder's choice.
Williams had two hits and scored three runs in the second game, and had three hits and four runs scored on the day.
The Broncs travel to Lynchburg, Virginia for a three-game series at Liberty starting Friday. “We better play better next weekend than we did this weekend,” Davis said. “They have a very good program at Liberty and we have our work cut out for us. I'm very happy with this weekend but we have to put it behind us.”
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