College Baseball

Monmouth University 6, Rider University 0

Monmouth University 5, Rider University 3

WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ—The Broncs lost a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference doubleheader at Monmouth Saturday. “We only scored in two innings all weekend,” said Rider head coach Barry Davis,  “but you have to credit Monmouth. They hit the ball and put it in play.”

In game two of the doubleheader Saturday Rider (3-17, 0-3 MAAC) scored three runs in the top of the fourth inning on three hits and a sacrifice fly, including a double by junior Lee Lipinski (Glen Arm, MD/Calvert) and an RBI double by junior Tyler Kaiser (Moorestown, NJ/Moorestown) to cut the lead to 4-3.

“We did some good things in the second game,” Davis said.

Kaiser had two doubles in the game and now has 10 on the season. Lipinski had two hits in game two. “Kaiser and Lee looked good today,” Davis said.

Monmouth (11-11, 3-0 MAAC) added a run in the fifth inning on a solo home run to take a 5-3 lead.

Monmouth scored four runs in the third inning on five hits to take a 4-0 lead.

Rider sophomore CJ Hirschy (Toms River, NJ/Toms River East) struck out seven but gave up five runs in 5.1 innings.

Junior Josh Sharik (Ewing, NJ/Plumstead Christian) pitched the final two scoreless innings, allowing one hit.  “I thought Sharik looked good, which was nice to see,” Davis said.

Sophomore Christian Estevez (River Edge, NJ/River Dell) had two hits, including an RBI single, in the final game of the series and senior James Locklear (Hamilton, NJ/Steinert) had two singles.

Senior Patrick Murphy (McHenry, Ill./McHenry) had a double and a sacrifice fly.

In game one Monmouth scored three runs on three hits in the fourth inning to take a 5-0 lead. The Hawks added a run on in the sixth on two walks and two hits.

Two walks and two singles, all with two outs, gave Monmouth a 2-0 lead in the first inning.

Sophomore Jake Bender (Ellicot, Md./Marriotts Ridge), junior Dalton Mayberry (Chadds Ford, PA/Garnett Valley), freshman Jack Finn (Ellicott City, MD/Calvert Hall), and junior Mike Volaski (Oxnard, CA/Oxnard) had hits in game one Saturday.

The Broncs took two of three games with Monmouth at Rider last season.

Rider and Monmouth have met 66 times since the series began in 1976 with Rider winning 35. Monmouth won six straight before Rider won the series last season.

Rider won six of the seven MAAC series last season.

“We've never started 0-3 in the MAAC since I've been here,” Davis said.  “It's not the way you want to start. It is going to be a challenge. We'll see what kind of pride we have.”

The Broncs will host La Salle Tuesday at 3:30.

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