College Baseball
Marist College 4, Rider University 2
POUGHKEEPSIE, NY?The Broncs lost a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference game at Marist Monday. Marist wins the series two games to one and is now tied for third place with Niagara behind first place Manhattan (8-1) and second place Fairfield (5-3). Rider (14-14, 6-6 MAAC) drops to sixth place.
“It's a big loss because we would be in second by ourselves with a win, since we have the tie-breaker with Niagara,” said Rider head coach Barry Davis. “We're in a tough situation now. 6-6 the rest of the way isn't going to do it. We're going to have to play better.”
Marist (16-15, 7-5 MAAC) took a 3-0 lead in the second inning on two hits, including a two-run triple. The Red Foxes added a fourth run in the seventh inning on two hits.
Rider senior Derek Caldwell (Allentown, Pa./Salisbury) pitched eight innings and stuck out five without allowing a walk. “Derek threw fine,” Davis said. “He kept us in the game.”
Freshman Brandon Cotten (Wiconisco, Pa./Williams Valley) and senior James Hayes (Sunrise, Fla./Piper) each drew bases loaded walks in the ninth inning to get Rider on the board. “We had a chance at the end,” Davis said. “We get a base hit we tie the game.”
Rider collected five hits. “We didn't do much of anything today,” Davis said. “But it was a good baseball game, well pitched. They just pitched a little better and hit a little better and they came through when the needed to, so give them the credit.”
Junior Matt McCollum (Tabernacle, N.J./Shawnee), Hayes, sophomore John Ralston (Annandale, Va./Paul VI), sophomore Steve Galella (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./G.A.R. Memorial) and Cotten collected hits for Rider. McCollum now has 96 career hits.
Marist junior BJ Martin pitched eight and two-thirds innings, striking out 19 for the victory. “He threw well,” Davis said. “That's by far the most we've struck out all year.”
Rider and Marist have met 59 times since the series began in 1992. In 1993 the two teams became Northeast Conference rivals and both joined the MAAC in 1998. Rider has defeated Marist 24 times, including two out of three in the series at Rider last season. Marist won the MAAC Championship in 2005, as well as 2000, 2001 and 2002. The Red Foxes defeated Rider in the 2001 and 2002 MAAC Title Games. Rider won four consecutive conference titles in the 1990s when the two teams were NEC rivals.
Rider plays at NJIT Wednesday night. “It's not the end of the world,” Davis said. “We're .500 across the board with 22 left. We have a chance to do some things.”
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