MAAC Baseball Tournament
Rider University 10, Canisius College 5
FISHKILL, NY- Junior A.J. Albee (Ashley, Pa./Hanover Area) had three hits, including a three-run home run, to lead Rider to victory over Canisius in the winner's bracket of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship tournament Thursday. "He's a good player," head coach Barry Davis said of his team MVP.
Rider (35-21), the third seed, will now play either Manhattan (31-19) or Canisius (38-20) Friday at 7pm. If Rider wins Friday the Broncs are the 2010 MAAC Champions. If Rider loses Friday the Broncs will play again Saturday in the Title Game.
"That's a good spot to be in right now," said Albee, who holds the Rider single season records for runs scored (61) and RBI (60) as well as defensive assists (170).
The win was Rider's ninth in a row, the longest streak for the Broncs since winning 10 in a row in 2002.
Albee hit a three-run home run in the eighth inning to give Rider a 10-5 lead. Albee hit an RBI double and scored on a wild pitch to give Rider a 7-1 lead in the sixth inning. "Obviously, another big hit by AJ," Davis said.
"I'm not even sure if it was a fastball or a change-up," Albee said of the pitch he hit his ninth home run of the season on. "With two strikes I was just looking to put a decent swing on anything close."
Freshman Mike Murphy (Hamilton/Peddie) pitched seven innings, allowing three earned runs while striking out seven and walking two. "Mike was in control," Davis said of his rookie pitcher, who became a starter on April 24, against Canisius. "He pitched well. He's progressed each week."
Thursday was Murphy's 21st game but just his sixth start of the season and is now 4-4. "A month ago I had no idea I would ever be in this situation," Murphy said. "I like being a starter. I like throwing more innings."
"We made a decision in mid-April to start him," Davis said. "We knew he was one of the best pitchers on the team. He and (closer Tyler) Smith were pitching in the back end of the bull pen, and we decided we need to get more out of our weekend starters. Every week he has gotten better. Tonight he really stepped up and pitched with confidence and he basically shut them out until the fifth inning."
Murphy struck out the side in the second inning and faced just 13 batters in the first four innings. "My curve ball was working well tonight," Murphy said. "Canisius is a good team. We played good defense and we hit well. That's what it takes to beat a good team like them."
That, and good starting pitching.
"To pitch in this atmosphere will be good for him down the road," Davis said.
It was pretty good for Rider right now.
For the second straight game Rider came flying out of the gates. After scoring five runs in the first inning on Wednesday in the win over Marist, Rider scored four runs in the first inning Thursday on five hits, including a two-run single by junior John Ralston (Annandale, Va./Paul VI) and an RBI single by senior Nick Wojnowski (Baldwin, Md./Calvert Hall).
"It was important to get those runs before Murphy took the mound," Davis said, "and the way he handled it was important. They got one guy on base the first four innings."
"Scoring four runs in the first was big," Murphy said. "I was able to go out and I felt confident. I am confident these guys can score in any inning."
The Broncs added another run in the second inning when sophomore Brandon Cotten (Wiconisco, Pa./Williams Valley) walked, stole second, went to third on a single and scored on a single by junior Mason Heyne (Shrewsbury, Pa./Susquehannock).
Canisius, the top seed, got on the board with a solo home run in the fifth inning, just the second hit of the game for the Griffs. "They are just too good to keep off the board," Davis said of Canisius. "We knew they were going to make a run."
Canisius scored three unearned runs in the sixth inning on three hits, a walk and a costly error.
Canisius defeated Rider three straight games this season in Buffalo and won two of three at Rider in 2009. Canisius ended Rider's 2009 season with a 9-8 MAAC playoff win in the loser's bracket. "They've had our number the last two years," Albee said, "so it feels pretty good to get this win.".
Freshman Chris LeRoy (Freehold/Colts Neck) pitched the final two scoreless innings, allowing just one hit. "I thought LeRoy did a good job," Davis said. "He came in and got outs without giving up any runs. He's been one of those hidden guys that nobody talks about but has done a good job for us."
The 35 wins tied the Rider record for wins in a season, set in 1995 (35-18). Rider won the Northeast Conference Championship that year but lost the NCAA Play-In series to Ivy League Champion Penn.
Canisius and Manhattan play in the elimination game Friday afternoon, with the loser going home and the winner playing Rider Friday evening.
Heyne had two hits Thursday and now has 191 hits, 10th most ever at Rider. Heyne had another RBI to give him 55 for the season and now has 149 career RBI, fourth most ever at Rider.
Junior Karl Johnston (Hamilton, N.J./Peddie) had a hit and scored twice. Johnston has scored seven runs in the last four games and has 54 runs scored in 56 games.
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