College Baseball
Gardner-Webb 11, Rider University 4
Gardner-Webb 6, Rider University 5
BOILING SPRINGS, NC?The Rider University baseball team was swept in two, seven-inning non-conference games on Tuesday in North Carolina. “It's pretty simple,” said head coach Barry Davis. “We've played parts of games and not a whole game. An inning here and there isn't going to get the job done.”
In the nightcap, the Broncs led 5-2 before the Runnin' Bulldogs tied it in the sixth on a two-run home run and three straight singles and won it in the bottom of the seventh with a one-out solo home run, off Rider senior reliever James Hayes (Sunrise, Fla./Piper). Hayes led Rider with 11 saves last season.
“Give Gardner-Webb credit,” Davis said. “They played the full seven innings in both games and we didn't. More so in the second game, we're up three with four outs to go and no one on base and we didn't get the job done.”
Trailing 2-1, Bronc first baseman Sean Olson (Vineland/St. Augustine Prep) gave Rider a 4-2 lead in the fifth inning with a three-run home run to left center, his third of the season and 21st of his career. Olson finished with two hits on the day. “Olson's home run was big and even bigger was the fact that we went out the next inning and Gardner-Webb didn't score. And then we got one more to take a three-run lead and should have gotten more. When we have opportunities to tack on more runs, we haven't been able to do it.”
Also for Rider, sophomore A.J. Albee (Ashley, Pa./Hanover Area) and junior Eric Woodrow (Hamilton/Hamilton West) each had two hits in the second game.
In the opener, Rider (3-7) jumped out to a 3-0, first inning lead on home runs by Hayes and sophomore Steve Galella (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./G.A.R. Memorial). Galella and sophomore John Ralston (Annandale, Va./Paul VI) each had two hits in the opener.
The Broncs increased their lead to 4-0 in the third on a solo home run from sophomore Mason Heyne (Shrewsbury, Pa./Susquehannock), his third of the season before Gardner-Webb responded with 11 unanswered runs, chasing senior Jimmer Kennedy (Levittown, Pa./Holy Ghost Prep) who lasted three and two-thirds, allowing six earned runs.
This was the first ever meeting between the two schools.
Rider has lost four straight.
“We've been working hard to get through innings and I don't think we've made our opponents work as hard as we have had to,” Davis added. “I don't think the lay off helped but they [Gardner-Webb] also had a longer than usual lay off. They didn't play a lot either over the weekend.”
After one game and three rainouts at Charlotte, this was Rider's first action since last Friday.
The third and final game of the series, a nine-inning affair, is scheduled for Wednesday at 3:00 p.m.
“We are capable of playing better than this,” Davis said. “And certainly, we need to. We need total focus and total concentration and we're not getting that.”
The Broncs open Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play at Niagara in a three-game series March 21-22.
“I don't think we've looked ahead that conference play starts this weekend,” said Davis. “As a competitor, every game is important and you want to win all of them. Yes, conference games are more important but right now, playing better is the most important thing.”
The 2009 home opener, at Sonny Pittaro Field is on March 25 at 3:00 p.m., against Rutgers.
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