Box Score College Baseball
Monmouth University 5, Rider University 4 (11 innings)
WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ— May the 4th be with you. It wasn't with the Broncs.
The Rider baseball team could have used a force, not unlike the binding, metaphysical and omnipresent power that exists in the Star Wars galaxy.
The Broncs lost a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference game in extra innings at Monmouth on May 4, despite out-hitting the Hawks.
“It's not that we don't play well, we played fine today,” said Rider head coach Barry Davis. “We had opportunities to break the game open. We had runners on first and third in the tenth. We hit into bases loaded double plays, twice.”
A walk, a sacrifice bunt and an RBI single in the bottom of the 11th inning gave Monmouth (19-20, 9-7 MAAC) the victory and the sweep of the series.
Rider (13-29, 5-11 MAAC) is now 1-7 in extra inning games this year. “The little things matter,” Davis said. “When you don't do the little things you are going to lose.”
In the top of the eighth inning the Broncs scored three runs on five hits, including RBI singles by sophomore James Locklear (Hamilton, NJ/Steinert) and freshman Giovanni Gussen (Mullica Hill, NJ/Gloucester Catholic), to tie the score at 4-4.
Gussen and Locklear each had two hits on Sunday and three hits in the series.
Rider junior Nick Richter (Fox River Grove, Ill./Cary-Grove) had three of Rider's first five hits. Richter singled, stole second and third and scored on a bad throw from the catcher to give Rider a 1-0 lead. Richter now has 33 stolen bases, second most in the nation and just seven shy of the Rider record of 40 that was set in 1967.
Junior Justin Thomas (Richboro, PA/Council Rock South) had two hits Sunday and five hits in the series. “Richter and Thomas swung the bats pretty well all week,” Davis said.
Sophomore Vincenzo Aiello (Staten Island, NY/Tottenville) pitched the final four and one-third innings of relief, allowing two runs on four hits. “Vinnie threw fine but the two runs he gave up were both men who walked,” Davis said. “We had too many leadoff walks.”
Monmouth used a walk, a sacrifice bunt, a groundout and an RBI single to score a run in the seventh, taking a 4-1 lead.
Two singles, a walk and a sacrifice fly in the third inning gave Monmouth a 3-1 lead.
Monmouth used a walk, a single, a wild pitch and a ground out to tie the score at 1-1 in the first and took a 2-1 lead in the second on a double, single and a ground ball double play.
Rider junior Kurt Sowa (Bensalem, PA/Fr. Judge) pitched six innings, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out three and walking three. “He was better than he was the last few outings,” Davis said.
Rider is off this week for exams. The Broncs host Siena in a three-game MAAC series beginning with a doubleheader Saturday at 12 noon. “They are one of the best teams in the league right now,” Davis said, “and right now we're not. We'll have our hands full.”
Senior Day will be celebrated Sunday prior to the 12 noon first pitch.
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