College Baseball
Rider University 8, Cleveland State University 3
CLEVELAND, OH-Despite predictions of the Rapture taking place May 21, 2011, the only thing that came to an end on Saturday for the Rider Broncs was the regular season.
Rider scored eight runs on nine hits to defeat host Cleveland State in the third game of a three-game series with the Vikings. Rider swept the series and enters the postseason with 12 wins in its last 14 games. "We ended the season on a good note," said Rider head coach Barry Davis. "It is nice to win going into the tournament."
With the win Rider (33-16, 16-7 MAAC) ties the team record for wins in the regular season, set last year before the 2010 team won three playoff games to set the Bronc record for wins in a season at 36.
Senior Nate Eppley (Dillsburg, Pa./Northern) pitched seven innings, allowing just one run on four hits while striking out six for his sixth win of the season and the tenth of his career. "Nate was very good," Davis said. "He pitched out of a couple jams. He was solid."
For the third consecutive game, Rider scored two runs in the top of the first inning to take an early lead.
The Broncs broke open a 2-1 game with three runs in the seventh inning, two runs scoring on a hit by senior A.J. Albee (Ashley, Pa./Hanover Area), to take a 5-1 lead, and Rider went up 6-1 in the eighth inning on a sacrifice fly by senior Karl Johnston (Hamilton, N.J./Peddie).
"A.J. got the big hit there," Davis said. "That opened it up. That was a big inning."
Senior Steve Galella (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./G.A.R. Memorial) hit an RBI single in the top of the ninth inning. It was the second hit of the day for Galella and was career hit number 200, the ninth Bronc to reach that milestone. "That's nice for him," Davis said. "He's been a good hitter throughout his career here. Not too many people get 200."
Galella graduated magna cum laude last weekend and his name is now on the Academic All-America ballot.
Sophomore Ian Lindsay (Oaklyn/Haddon Twp.) added an RBI single to give Rider an 8-1 lead.
Cleveland State (12-43, 5-20 Horizon) got on the board in the second inning with a single, two walks and a hit batsman, cutting the lead to 2-1.
Freshman Ken Kremer (Hershey, PA/Hershey) had two of Rider's nine hits. Rider junior Brandon Cotten (Wiconisco, Pa./Williams Valley) scored twice. Junior Ryan Murphy (Yardville, N.J./Steinert) collected his second hit of the series.
Rider used 17 players in the final tune-up before the MAAC Championship Tournament. "That was part of the plan, to get our position players in and some at bats," Davis said. "You never know who you are going to need heading into the tournament."
When Harold Camping, the head of the Christian Family Radio broadcasting network, predicted the "end of days," for Saturday, maybe he was speaking of the Cleveland State baseball team. Saturday's game was the final game in CSU program history, as the university is dropping the sport of baseball.
Rider hosts the MAAC Tournament May 26-29 at Mercer County's Waterfront Park. "We're excited about the tournament," Davis said. "This is what you play the whole year for."
The Broncs are the second seed and will play Thursday at 7pm against the third seed, Siena. The first game of the tournament will be 3pm Thursday, with the top seed, Manhattan, hosting the fourth seed, Canisius.
"Only four teams get to play for the championship and we're happy we are one of them," Davis said. "We're very fortunate and grateful to have the opportunity."
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