College Baseball
Virginia Military Institute 12, Rider University 11
LEXINGTON, VA?Despite out-hitting the Keydets, the Broncs lost to VMI Sunday. “We're getting hits,” said Rider head coach Barry Davis. “We just can't stop the other team from scoring right now.”
VMI (5-7) scored two runs on two hits in the bottom of the eighth inning to take a 12-11 lead.
Senior James Hayes (Sunrise, Fla./Piper) led off the eighth inning with a single, stole second and scored on an RBI single by senior Sean Olson (Vineland, N.J./St. Augustine Prep) to break a 10-10 tie. Olson had two hits in the game.
The stolen base was Hayes' 76th, four shy of the Rider career record set in 2003 by Carl Loadenthal, who is now in Spring Training with the New York Mets. “Hayes had a great weekend,” Davis said.
The Broncs scored six runs in the seventh inning on five hits, the biggest hit an RBI double by senior Maurice Williams (Tinton Falls, N.J./Monmouth Regional), to tie the score at 10-10. Williams had two hits and two RBI. “We executed at the plate,” Davis said, “getting two-out hits, two-strike hits. Coming back to take the lad was big.”
VMI scored seven runs in the fourth inning on four hits and three Rider errors to take a 9-3 lead. “The big inning has been hurting us lately,” Davis said.
Hayes hit an RBI double in the seventh inning to cut the lead to 10-5.
Sophomore Mason Heyne (Shrewsbury, Pa./Susquehannock) hit a two-run home run in the third inning to give Rider a 3-0 lead, and had three RBI in the game.
Hayes once again manufactured a run in the first inning. After being hit by a pitch to lead off the game after a five-hit day Saturday, Hayes stole second, went to third on a throwing error and scored on a ground ball in the infield.
The Broncs (3-4) out-hit VMI 16-12. Junior Nick Wojnowski (Baldwin, Md./Calvert Hall) had three of Rider's 16 this. Sophomore A.J. Albee (Ashley, Pa./Hanover Area) had two hits, two RBI and scored two runs and sophomore John Ralston (Annandale, Va./Paul VI) had two hits.
Senior Jimmer Kennedy (Levittown, Pa./Holy Ghost Prep) pitched three and one third innings, striking out three while allowing four earned runs. “Jimmer pitched well,” Davis said. “The first two innings were great then he got himself in a little trouble, and then we didn't catch the ball behind him.”
Rider is at Hofstra Wednesday. “It would be nice to get back to .500,” Davis said. “This trip was good in that it showed us what we need to work on. We have a lot of work to do, but we saw what we're capable of doing.”
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