College Baseball
Appalachian State 8, Rider University 6
HICKORY, N.C.--The Rider University baseball team out-hit Appalachian State for the second day in a row but could not overcome three errors as the Broncs lost Sunday and were swept in the three-game series.
"We played hard but we had a few mistakes on defense and couldn't get that one big hit," said head coach Barry Davis. "We had a lot of things going with two outs but couldn't get things started with no one out. The one time we had first and third with no one out, we only got one run out of the deal."
For Rider (4-3), senior Nick Wojnowski (Baldwin, Md./Calvert Hall) and senior Eric Woodrow (Hamilton/Hamilton West) each had three hits with Wojnowski doubling and hitting a home run while adding two RBI and two runs scored.
"Nick had a great game, hit the ball the other way and had a home run," Davis said. "Both Nick and Eric had excellent days and worked to hit the ball the opposite way and up the middle."
Trailing 1-0 in the second inning, the Broncs tied the game on a double play groundout, scoring senior Matt McCollum (Tabernacle/Shawnee) who led off with a single. McCollum had two hits on the day and five in the series.
Appalachian State (9-0) retook the lead with two runs in the bottom of the second before Rider rallied with one in the third inning, when junior John Ralston (Annandale, Va./Paul VI) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, scoring junior A.J. Albee (Ashley, Pa./Hanover Area) who was also hit by a pitch.
Trailing 5-2 in the fourth, Albee hit into a fielder's choice, scoring Woodrow who had led off the inning with a single.
Rider made it 6-4 in the fifth on Wojnowski's first home run of the season a two-out solo shot to right field. Wojnowski batted .455 in the series with five hits and three RBI.
Appalachian State used three hits, including two doubles, a walk and a hit batsman to score twice and take an 8-4 lead in the bottom of the sixth.
Rider took advantage of a lead off error by the Appalachian defense and an RBI double by Wojnowski to get to within three in the seventh and sophomore Ryan Murphy (Yardville/Steinert) had a pinch hit RBI single in the ninth inning, scoring Wojnowski with the final run.
"Ryan's pinch hit was big for us," Davis said. "It allowed us to get the potential tying run on base in the last inning."
Also for Rider, freshman Ian Lindsay (Oaklyn/Haddon Township) had two hits including a double.
Red-shirt sophomore pitcher Patrick Devlin (Richboro, Pa./Council Rock HS North) dropped to 1-1 on the season, working two and two-thirds innings, allowing five hits and two earned runs while striking out two.
Junior Nate Eppley (Dillsburg, Pa./Northern), freshman Sean Kuberiet (Branchburg/Somerville) and freshman Mike Murphy (Hamilton/Peddie) combined to throw two and two-thirds of scoreless relief in the sixth, seventh and eighth, allowing the Broncs to mount a comeback. Murphy threw two innings of relief in the series, allowing only one hit.
Rider stranded 13 runners on Sunday and 34 in the series. "We just need to put a couple more hits together," said Davis. "We are hitting the ball hard and we are hitting consistent (.331 average in the series) and attacking it the right way. If we catch the ball, our situation would have been a little bit different."
Rider made five errors in the series, leading to only 17 of the 23 runs being earned. The Broncs scored a total of 16 runs in the three games.
After winning four in a row to start the season, the Broncs have lost three straight.
The three-game set was played at L.P. Frans Stadium in Hickory, North Carolina after heavy snow this past week forced the venue change.
Rider plays Lafayette at Jack Cust Field in Flemington, New Jersey on Tuesday at 3pm.
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