College Baseball
Rider University 15, Iona College 4
NEW ROCHELLE, NY-In the regular season finale the Broncs won a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference game at Iona Saturday. "It's just nice to win a game," said Rider head coach Barry Davis, "and be in the position we are in."
Rider (33-21, 15-9 MAAC) will now be the third seed and will play host Marist (33-20, 16-8) in the first round of the MAAC Championship tournament Wednesday, May 26, at 7pm. "Being the third seed gives you an opportunity to be the home team in one of the games," Davis said.
Manhattan (30-17, 15-9) is the fourth seed and will play the top seed, Canisius (37-19, 19-5) at 3pm Wednesday. "The league is so close it really doesn't matter that much," Davis said of the seeding. "Marist is going to be tough, while Manhattan and Canisius are both very good teams."
Junior A.J. Albee (Ashley, Pa./Hanover Area) had three of Rider's 18 hits, scored two runs and had an RBI for the Broncs. Albee now has 56 runs scored, tying the Rider single-season record set in 2002. Albee now has 56 RBI. The Rider record is 58 set last season by team MVP Sean Olson. "That's pretty good," Davis said of Albee's accomplishments. "He's a good situational hitter who has been very productive. He's having a nice year. He's giving us what you want out of your three hitter. The fact that he is scoring so many runs lets you know your four-five-six guys are driving runs in too."
The Broncs broke open a 7-3 game with three runs in the sixth inning on four hits, the biggest hit a two-run single by freshman Adam Wayman (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./G.A.R. Memorial), to take a 10-3 lead, and Rider went up 12-3 with a pair of sacrifice flies in the seventh by junior Mason Heyne (Shrewsbury, Pa./Susquehannock) and senior Nick Wojnowski (Baldwin, Md./Calvert Hall).
Wojnowski had three hits in the game and Wayman had three RBI.
Third-year sophomore Patrick Devlin (Richboro, Pa./Council Rock North) pitched six innings, striking out three to improve to 6-3. "He threw well," Davis said.
Rider took a 7-3 lead in the fifth inning when senior Eric Woodrow (Hamilton, N.J./Hamilton West) walked, junior Steve Galella (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./G.A.R. Memorial) doubled, sophomore Brandon Cotten (Wiconisco, Pa./Williams Valley) hit an RBI single to score Woodrow and Galella scored on an error. Galella had two hits in the game and scored twice.
Cotten had three hits and three RBI Saturday and had nine hits in the three-game series sweep. "He's playing with confidence," Davis said of his centerfielder. "He had an outstanding weekend. If he stays hot he'll continue to create a lot of opportunities for us."
The Broncs took a 5-2 in the second inning when Galella hit an RBI single, Cotten hit a two-run single and junior Karl Johnston (Hamilton, N.J./Peddie) hit an RBI single. Johnston stole third and scored on a throwing error. Johnston scored three runs in the game.
Rider junior shortstop John Ralston (Annandale, Va./Paul VI) added two hits and two RBI.
Iona (9-39, 3-21 MAAC) took a 2-0 lead in the first inning with a pair of singles, a walk and a double, all with two outs and cut the lead to 5-3 in the second. "Devlin struggled a little bit early," Davis said, "but he settled down in the third, fourth, fifth innings."
The 33 wins is the second most ever at Rider, accomplished twice before (2002, 1994). The Rider record for wins in a season is 35 (1995). "With all of the great teams Rider has had in its history, it is nice to know we are going to be mentioned with them," Davis said. "It's a nice accomplishment and now we have an opportunity to pick up a couple more wins."
The Broncs won two of three games against Iona last year in Lawrenceville after sweeping the Gaels in New Rochelle in 2008. Rider and Iona have met 43 times since the series began in 1960 with Rider winning 29.
Rider enters the MAAC tournament having won seven in a row and 13 of its last 15 games. "Certainly you'd rather being going in on a streak like that than going in the other way," Davis said. "We're playing with confidence. Hopefully we can carry some of that momentum into the tournament."
Rider has now qualified for the MAAC tournament for the third year in a row, the fourth time in the last five years and the eighth time in 13 years as a MAAC member.
"I think we're ready," Davis said.
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