Box Score College Baseball
High Point University 6, Rider University 4
HIGH POINT, NC—The Broncs lost the first game of the three game series at High Point Friday. “We had our chances,” said Rider head coach Barry Davis. “I thought we battled at the plate for the most part. We competed, we improved, we played well, probably well enough to win the game.”
Rider (0-9) scored two runs in the top of the ninth inning on two hits, including an RBI single by freshman Brennan McAllister (Middletown, DE/Middletown), but that was as close as the Broncs could get. It was McAllister's first collegiate hit. “That was a big hit,” Davis said. “He did the job.”
Rider sophomore Nick Margevicius (North Royalton, Ohio/St. Ignatius) pitched 6.2 innings, allowing four runs while striking out six with two walks. “Nick was great,” Davis said. “When he left the game it was 2-2. We saw something out of him today.”
High Point (10-4) scored five runs in the seventh inning on four hits, including a three-run double with two outs, and a pair of walks to take a 6-2 lead. “We had the lead but couldn't close it out,” Davis said. “If you are only going to score four runs you can't give up five in one inning,”
Rider junior Dalton Mayberry (Chadds Ford, PA/Garnett Valley) walked and eventually scored on a wild pitch to give Rider a 2-1 lead in the sixth inning
Sophomore Jake Bender (Ellicot, Md./Marriotts Ridge) singled and scored on a double by senior James Locklear (Hamilton, NJ/Steinert) to tie the score at 1-1 in the third inning.
The hit for Locklear was the 139th of his career, 50th most all-time at Rider.
Bender's single in the third inning extended his hitting streak to nine games. “He's doing a good job,” Davis said. “You can't ask for any better than that.”
A hit batter and a pair of singles gave High Point a 1-0 lead in the first inning.
Junior Tyler Kaiser (Moorestown, NJ/Moorestown), junior Lee Lipinski (Glen Arm, MD/Calvert), junior Mike Volaski (Oxnard, CA/Oxnard) and freshman Riley Mihalik (Churchville, PA/Chestnut Hill) also collected hits. “Mihalik hit a rocket shot to right,” Davis said. Mihalik might have hit it too hard. “Lipinski got thrown out at the plate on a bang-bang play on Mihalik's hit.”
With a high percentage of rain in Sunday's forecast, Rider and High Point will now play a doubleheader Saturday at 2pm to complete the three-game series.
The Broncs will stay in North Carolina and play a two-game series with Campbell March 15-16.
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