College Baseball
Rider University 6, Manhattan College 3
Manhattan College 14, Rider University 5
LAWRENCEVILLE-The Broncs split a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference doubleheader with Manhattan Saturday. "In the first game we played well enough to win," said Rider head coach Barry Davis. "In the second game nothing went our way."
In the first game, Rider (13-14, 3-5 MAAC) broke a scoreless tie with three runs in the fourth inning on three hits, including a two-run home run by sophomore Ryan Murphy (Yardville, N.J./Steinert), his first, which followed an RBI double by freshman Adam Wayman (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./G.A.R. Memorial).
"We got some clutch hitting in the first game," Davis said. "Murphy's hit was huge."
"I got a 2-0 fastball that I was looking for," Murphy said of his first collegiate home run. "I was looking to pull the ball, move the runner over to third, and I got my pitch and didn't miss it. It felt great."
Junior Mike Thomas (Forest Hill, Md./Fallston) pitched seven innings, striking out seven, and improved to 4-2. "The first game was very well pitched," Davis said.
Thomas had two runners on in the seventh inning with no outs, holding on to a 4-3 lead, and pitched out of it to end his day. "That was big," Davis said.
"I think I threw pretty well," Thomas said. "Manhattan is a good hitting team. Against them you have to make your pitches. Fortunately our defense made a lot of great plays. The defense helped me out big time."
Freshman Tyler Smith (Westmont/Haddon Twp.) pitched the final two innings, allowing just one hit while striking out two for his second save. "Smith came in and did an outstanding job," Davis said.
The Broncs took a 4-2 lead in the fifth inning when junior Karl Johnston (Hamilton, N.J./Peddie) singled, went to second on a walk, advanced to third on a passed ball and scored on a sacrifice fly by senior Nick Wojnowski (Baldwin, Md./Calvert Hall). "That sac fly was big, giving us a two-run lead," Davis said.
Rider took a 6-3 lead in the eighth inning with two runs on one hit, a double by Wayman, a sacrifice, a walk and a pair of Jasper errors.
Johnston had two hits in the first game and three on the day.
Wojnowski collected his 100th career hit, the 73rd Bronc to reach that milestone. "That is always a good way to measure a career," Davis said. "Not everybody can get 100 hits. Congrats to Wojo."
In the second game, Manhattan (16-10, 5-3 MAAC) scored six runs in the second inning on six hits to take a 7-0 lead and led 11-0 after three innings.
Rider senior Matt McCollum (Tabernacle, N.J./Shawnee) hit a two-run single with two outs in the seventh inning for the final score.
Junior Mason Heyne (Shrewsbury, Pa./Susquehannock) had two hits in the doubleheader and now has 151 career hits, 36th most ever at Rider.
The Jaspers won four in a row before Saturday. Last year Manhattan won two of three in the series with Rider and the Jaspers beat Rider 2-1 in the MAAC playoffs. "I always have a lot of incentive trying to beat Manhattan," Thomas said. "They are usually the best in the conference."
"Any time you can beat Manhattan it is a plus," Davis said. "They are very good. They've been good every year that I've been here and I don't expect anything less from them."
The third game of the series will be played Sunday at 12 noon.
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