Box Score College Baseball
Rider University 10, Lehigh University 9
(10 innings)
LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ—Sophomore Jake Bender (Ellicot, Md./Marriotts Ridge) collected five hits, including the game-winner in the 10th inning, to lead Rider to an extra inning victory over Lehigh in the semifinal round of the 25th annual Liberty Bell Classic.
“Jake's been consistent all year,” said Rider head coach Barry Davis. “He uses the entire field, he hits to all fields and he has a pretty good idea at the plate.”
“I don't think I've had a five hit game before,” Bender said. “I've been working on getting good hitting counts and seeing a fastball that I want to hit and putting a good swing on it.”
Bender had 10 hits all last season as a back-up and this year has a team-high 31 hits. “I love playing,” said Bender, the Bronc shortstop and leadoff hitter. “Last year was a great group of guys so I had fun last year too but this is great playing every day.”
The victory was Rider's fifth in the last six games. The Broncs are now 3-0 at home this year.
With the win the Broncs will now defend their 2015 title when they play in the Classic Championship Game April 26 at 7:30pm at Citizen's Bank Park. “That should be fun,” Davis said.
“Last year I got to take some ground balls at Citizen's Bank Park,” Bender said. “I look forward to playing there this year.”
Rider (8-18) scored two runs in the 10th inning on two hits, Bender's and a single by senior James Locklear (Hamilton, NJ/Steinert) and a pair of Lehigh errors.
In the tenth Locklear singled and went to second on a failed pickoff attempt, and sophomore Christian Estevez (River Edge, NJ/River Dell) reached based on an error, allowing Locklear to score the game-tying run. Estevez then scored the game-winner when Bender hit a ball that dropped between the shortstop and leftfielder.
Locklear had two hits and scored three runs on the day.
In the eighth inning Rider scored two runs on a single by junior Mike Volaski (Oxnard, CA/Oxnard) and a pair of Lehigh errors to take an 8-7 lead. Volaski had two hits in the game.
Rider junior Dalton Mayberry (Chadds Ford, PA/Garnett Valley) committed an error in right field to allow Lehigh to tie the score at 5-5 but hit a home run in the bottom of the fifth to give Rider a 6-5 lead. “Dalton works hard,” Davis said. “He wanted to make that play in right and he bounced right back with the home run.”
Mayberry had two hits on the day.
Also for Rider, freshman Riley Mihalik (Churchville, PA/Chestnut Hill) hit a three-run double in a four-run fourth inning that gave Rider a 5-4 lead. “That was a big hit by Riley,” Davis said.
Lehigh (10-18) led 2-0, 4-1 and took a 7-6 lead in the seventh inning. “Both teams battled today,” Bender said. 'Luckily we came out on top. We did one or two things better than them and we got the win.”
Rider used five pitchers. “Our bullpen needs to do a better job,” Davis said. One of those relievers was sophomore ace Nick Margevicius (North Royalton, Ohio/St. Ignatius), who threw a scoreless inning on his usual bullpen day and pitched out of a bases loaded jam, striking out two.
Both teams committed four errors. “We made so many mistakes, but they did too,” Davis said.
Rider defeated Lehigh twice last year, 11-6 in the Liberty Bell Classic at La Salle and 9-4 at Rider. The teams did not meet in 2014 and Rider won 6-4 in 2013. Rider defeated Lehigh 13-0 in 1989 and the two teams did not meet again until 2007, a 12-5 Rider victory.
Former East Coast Conference rivals in the 1970s and '80s, Rider and Lehigh have now met 49 times since the series began in 1967 with Rider winning 36, including the last 10.
The last time Lehigh defeated Rider was 1986.
Rider will host Sacred Heart in a non-conference three-game series this weekend, beginning with a 4pm game Friday at Sonny Pittaro Field. “Sacred Heart is good,” Davis said. “They have some veterans and they will contend for the Northeast Conference this year.”
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