College Baseball
University of Maine 8, Rider University 3
LAWRENCEVILLE-The Maine Black Bears banged out 13 hits to defeat the Broncs and salvage a win in the fourth and final game of the series. "You have to tip your hat to Maine," said Rider head coach Barry Davis. "They battled back after losing the first three games of the series."
The loss snapped Rider's six-game winning streak.
Rider (10-8) tied the score at 1-1 in the third inning on an RBI single by freshman Nick Crescenzo (Hammonton, NJ/Hammonton) and tied the score at 2-2 in the fourth on an RBI fielder's choice by sophomore Ian Lindsay (Oaklyn/Haddon Twp.). "He's a good player," Davis said of his rookie outfielder.
Crescenzo extended his hitting streak to seven games. "He can do some things for us," Davis said. "He can run, play all three outfield positions and he's learning. He's going to be a good one here."
Rider sophomore starting pitcher Joe Calogero (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill HS West) struck out four with just one walk and retired 12 consecutive batters at one point, leaving the game tied at 2-2. "Joe threw great," Davis said. "He threw better from the fifth inning on."
Senior A.J. Albee (Ashley, Pa./Hanover Area) hit an RBI single in the eighth inning, cutting the lead to 5-3. Albee extended his hitting streak to seven games.
Rider freshman Ken Kremer (Hershey, PA/Hershey) also collected a hit.
Maine (6-15) scored three runs on three hits in the eighth inning to take a 5-2 lead.
Rider is off until next weekend when the Broncs begin Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play with a three-game series at Niagara, beginning with a doubleheader Saturday.
"I think we're ready for conference play," Davis said. "We have a veteran team. With the schedule we've had (Virginia, West Virginia, East Tennessee State), Maine is a quality program. We came out on the winning end, which is a good sign. Hopefully we'll be able to take that and put some wins together."
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