College Baseball
La Salle University 12, Rider University 10 (11 innings)
PHILADELPHIA, PA-The Broncs lost in extra innings at La Salle Tuesday on a walk-off three-run home run with two outs. "We've won some games like this this year," said Rider head coach Barry Davis. "Maybe it was just our turn to get beat like this. When you score ten runs you expect to win the game."
For Rider (26-21), junior Steve Galella (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./G.A.R. Memorial) hit an inside the park home run in the top of the 11th inning to break a 9-9 tie. "It was exciting," Davis said of Galella's second home run of the season. "It came at a crucial time. The ball hit a pole and caromed out to center field. He was hustling the whole way. It was a legit in-the-parker."
Galella had two hits and scored three runs in the game. Galella has 11 hits in his last 18 at bats to raise his batting average to a team-high .384.
Rider tied the score at 9-9 in the eighth inning with a walk, a hit by senior Nick Wojnowski (Baldwin, Md./Calvert Hall), a wild pitch and a ground out RBI by freshman Adam Wayman (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./G.A.R. Memorial). Wayman had two hits and two RBI in the game.
La Salle (17-28) took a 9-8 lead in the seventh inning with two runs on two hits.
Rider took an 8-7 lead in the seventh inning without a hit, but with a pair of walks, a wild pitch and a ground out RBI by freshman Ian Lindsay (Oaklyn/Haddon Twp.). Lindsay had two of Rider's 11 hits. "Ian did a good job," Davis said. "He's going to be a good hitter for us. All of his at bats were productive. When he made outs today he moved the runner. He had a productive day and that's good to see."
La Salle tied the score at 7-7 in the sixth inning on a single, a pair of wild pitches and a sacrifice fly.
Rider scored four runs in the fourth inning on two hits, a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly by junior Mason Heyne (Shrewsbury, Pa./Susquehannock) to take a 7-2 lead, but La Salle scored four runs on five hits in the fifth inning to cut the lead to 7-6. "We gave up too much in the fifth inning," Davis said. "We had control of the ball game before it unraveled."
Junior A.J. Albee (Ashley, Pa./Hanover Area) hit an RBI double and scored on a single by Wayman to make the score 3-1 in the top of the third inning. Albee had three RBI in the game and now has a team-high 48 on the season.
Rider took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a sacrifice fly by Albee after sophomore Brandon Cotten (Wiconisco, Pa./Williams Valley) doubled and went to third on a ground out. Cotten scored three runs and has now scored a team-high 45 runs in 41 games. Cotten now has 20 hits in his last 10 games.
La Salle tied the score at 1-1 in the second inning on two hits and a sacrifice fly and cut the lead to 3-2 in the third inning on a single, stolen base, a fly ball and an RBI ground out.
Freshman Tyler Smith (Westmont/Haddon Twp.) pitched the final three and two-thirds innings of relief for Rider and struck out four while suffering the loss. "He battled back," Davis said. "He got a strike out (to get to the final out), he just fell behind and didn't locate the next pitch. He left it up and the kid hit it good. He didn't kill it but the fence is only 305 to left field."
Rider freshman Joe Calogero (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill HS West) started and pitched four and two-thirds innings, leaving the game with a 7-6 lead.
Rider has won seven of its last 10 and 11 of its last 17 games. Rider has won 10 of its last 15 conference games. The Broncs are currently in third place in the MAAC with three conference games remaining, May 21-22 at last place Iona.
Rider hosts LeMoyne in a non-conference doubleheader Saturday at 12 noon. "That's an old rival, a team with talent," Davis said. 'They are good and are going to be one of the better teams we play all year."
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