College Baseball
Rider University 4, Canisius College 2
LAWRENCEVILLE?After losing a pair of football score games on Saturday, the Broncs regrouped and defeated the defending regular season champions in an old fashion pitcher's duel on Sunday. “It was a good character win,” said Rider head coach Barry Davis. “We could have easily come out and been down, but we didn't roll over and quit.”
Sophomore pitcher Patrick Devlin (Richboro, Pa./Council Rock North) led Rider to a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference victory over preseason favorite Canisius Sunday. “Devlin gave us a real good pick up,” Davis said, “especially from the fourth inning on.”
After allowing a home run in the third inning Devlin retired 18 of the next 21 batters he faced. “To get beat the way we got beat on Saturday and to pitch like that was great,” Davis said. “He has pitched well all year and has certainly shown that he is one of the better pitchers.”
Devlin pitched eight and one-third innings, allowing just two runs on six hits and four walks while striking out five, improving to 2-1 on the season. “He used his curveball well, he kept the ball down and we turned some double plays,” Davis said.
“The curve ball was working well today,” said Devlin, whose teammates refer to as ?Squid.' “I just had to work on getting ahead. It is always good to throw strikes and I've been able to do that my last few starts.”
Devlin started and pitched six innings in the MAAC playoff game against Siena last year as a rookie, leaving the game with a 5-2 lead. He pitched in 10 games, all in relief, before making six starts after a promotion to the starting rotation.
Senior James Hayes (Sunrise, Fla./Piper) came in from right field to strike out the last two batters for his third save of the season and 28th of his career. “Hayes came in with two runners on and was able to stop it,” Davis said. “That was big for us and for him after allowing a grand slam in extra innings yesterday.”
“I was getting a little tired in the ninth inning so I wasn't too upset when Jamie came in,” Devlin said. “I have a lot of confidence in him closing the door.”
“As a closer you always want to be in the game so I was happy he called my number in the ninth,” Hayes said. “Squid (Devlin) did a great job today, doing what we needed him to do.”
Hayes gave the Broncs a 3-2 lead in the fourth inning with an RBI double. “He left a pitch out there for me and I drove it to right,” Hayes said.
Rider (11-12, 5-4 MAAC) took a 2-1 lead in the first inning on back-to-back doubles by senior Sean Olson (Vineland, N.J./St. Augustine Prep) and sophomore Mason Heyne (Shrewsbury, Pa./Susquehannock) and an RBI single by sophomore Steve Galella (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./G.A.R. Memorial).
The Broncs took a 4-2 lead in the fifth inning when senior Maurice Williams (Tinton Falls, N.J./Monmouth Regional) singled with two outs and scored from first on a fly ball that was dropped in centerfield.
Canisius (14-15, 3-3 MAAC) won the first two games of the series with Rider on Saturday. Canisius won the 2008 MAAC regular season (41-13, 19-5 MAAC) and is picked to finish first again this year. Rider won the 2008 MAAC Championship Tournament. “Canisius is very good,” Davis said, “the best team in the conference we've scene so far. Everybody in their line up can hit and they have a veteran group of pitchers.”
Sophomore John Ralston (Annandale, Va./Paul VI) collected two hits of Rider's eight hits.
Rider travels to Princeton Tuesday and hosts Temple Wednesday.
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