College Baseball
Rider University 6, Saint Peter's College 1
Rider University 7, Saint Peter's College 2
Rider in MAAC Tournament
LAWRENCEVILLE?The Rider University baseball team will get the chance to defend its 2008 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Title. “We're very fortunate to be in the position we are in,” said Rider head coach Barry Davis. “Overall the year has been an up and down struggle, so it is gratifying to have met this goal.”
The Broncs swept Saint Peter's in a MAAC doubleheader Saturday. By winning all three games against Saint Peter's (17-37, 7-17 MAAC) to finish the regular season the Broncs finished in fourth place in the MAAC and qualified for the four-team MAAC Championship Tournament. “We had to do a few things down the road and we did them,” Davis said.
For Rider (26-21, 14-10 MAAC) sophomore A.J. Albee (Ashley, Pa./Hanover Area) had six hits in the doubleheader, including four doubles and a home run, and five RBI. “Maybe in high school, but I never had a day at the plate like this in college,” said Albee. “I just looked for pitches to hit and got them. They found some holes today.”
“Albee had a heck of a day,” Davis said.
“That was our goal in the beginning of the season, so to make the tournament on the last weekend is pretty good,” Albee said. “We knew what we had to do and we got it done.”
In the first game, sophomore Mike Thomas (Forest Hill, Md./Fallston) pitched a complete game (seven innings), his second in a row, striking out seven. “Thomas was outstanding,” Davis said. “Going the distance really helped, so we were able to save our bullpen for the second game.”
Thomas was the MAAC Pitcher of the Week last week and made a strong bid for that award this week as well.
Rider broke a 1-1 tie with four runs in the fourth inning on three hits, the biggest hit a three-run home run by Albee. “That home run was probably the one thing that pushed us over the top,” Davis said. “That separated us for them, going from 2-1 to 5-1. That's a big hit by Albee.”
The Broncs had tied the score at 1-1 in the second inning on a home run by sophomore Mason Heyne (Shrewsbury, Pa./Susquehannock), his 10th home run of the season and the 16th of his career, already 13th most ever at Rider. “He gave me a high fastball inside and I was able to get my hands on top of it,” Heyne said.
Heyne had four hits in the doubleheader. “Mason swung the bat today,” Davis said.
“I'm really excited,” said Heyne, who was a Freshman All-American last year, “especially for the seniors. They are a great group of guys so to clinch the playoffs on Senior Day was special.”
In the second game, Rider took a 3-0 lead in the third inning on five hits, including an RBI double by Albee. Senior Sean Olson (Vineland, N.J./St. Augustine Prep) also hit an RBI single in that inning, giving him 165 RBI for his career.
The Broncs took a 5-0 lead in the sixth inning on an RBI triple by freshman Brandon Cotten (Wiconisco, Pa./Williams Valley). “He can hit,” Davis said of his top rookie this year. “He has good power, he can bunt, and he can run. He can change the game a little bit. He's going to be really good.”
An RBI single by senior James Hayes (Sunrise, Fla./Piper) gave Rider a 6-0 lead. Hayes had three hits on the day, tying the Rider career hit record of 263. Hayes already has the Rider career records for runs scored (178), stolen bases (96) and saves (33).
Senior Jimmer Kennedy (Levittown, Pa./Holy Ghost Prep) started and pitched six innings, striking out four for his second win of the season and his 19th career win. Only eight Rider pitchers have ever won 19 or more games.
“I'm very, very happy about making the tournament,” said Kennedy, who won his first start of the season on February 21 but did not get his second win of the year until Saturday. “Probably about halfway through the season I told myself I was saving all of my luck for the end of the year. It has been frustrating up until now, with some days when I didn't have it and days when everything that could have broke either way went the other way. But this makes up for all of that.”
Rider gets to defend its 2008 MAAC Title by making the playoffs for the fifth time in the last nine years and seventh time in 12 years in the MAAC. Rider finished runner-up in the MAAC Tournament in 1999, 2001 and 2002 before winning the championship last season.
Rider will now play Thursday, May 21 at 7:30 pm against Manhattan, the top seed. Rider will host the MAAC Championship Tournament May 21-23 at Waterfront Park for the second straight year. Rider also qualified for the 2008 MAAC Tournament as the fourth seed.
“Fourth place was not our goal,” Davis said, “but we're in, and when you are in anything can happen. That's how we're going to play it. We are very capable of playing well in this tournament.”
“We're playing well at the end, and that's all that matters,” Heyne said.
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