Box Score College Baseball
Gardner-Webb University 6, Rider University 1
BOILING SPRINGS, NC—The Broncs fell to 10-0 Gardner-Webb Friday in the first game of the four-game series.
“Gardner-Webb kept the pressure on us all game,” Rider coach Barry Davis added. “They are a good club.”
For Rider (0-5) sophomore Brian Uliana (Bethlehem, PA/Freedom) reached base on a bunt single, went to second on a wild pitch, advanced to third on a ground out and scored on another wild pitch to cut the lead to 2-1 in the third inning. Uliana had two hits on the day.
Rider sophomore lefty Nick Margevicius (North Royalton, Ohio/St. Ignatius) pitched five innings, allowing just two earned runs.
“Margevicius was much better,” Davis added. “But two errors didn't help him in the field.”
Junior Mike Diorio (Middletown, NJ/Middletown South) pitched 2.2 innings of shutout relief.
Sophomore Jake Bender (Ellicot, Md./Marriotts Ridge) and junior Dalton Mayberry (Chadds Ford, PA/Garnett Valley) also had two hits each, with Mayberry hitting his second double of the season.
The Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs scored two in the fifth and one in the sixth to take a 6-1 lead.
“We must play better defense. We made two costly errors early which cost us two runs,” Davis said.
G-W scored an unearned run with two outs in both the first and second innings, taking a 2-0 lead, and an RBI double in the third inning made it 3-1.
Rider and Gardner-Webb split their two game series in 2014. Rider is 1-5 against Gardner-Webb since the series began in 2009.
The two teams play a 12 noon doubleheader on Saturday. “(Brett) Kosciolek and (Vincenzo) Aiello will go tomorrow,” Davis said.
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