LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – The Rider University baseball team split a doubleheader with visiting Canisius on Saturday afternoon in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) action at Sonny Pittaro Field. The Golden Griffins took the opener, 7-3, and the Broncs rallied for a 13-12 triumph in the nightcap.

Rider (11-25, 6-7 MAAC) scored their largest come-from-behind victory of the season in game two, while the Griffins (23-16, 11-6 MAAC) squandered a six-run lead.

The second game of the day was a slugfest as the two conference foes combined for 25 runs and 27 hits. Trailing, 12-6, entering the home half of the seventh the first three Broncs to come to the plate all reached via walks.

Rider freshman Jake Barbiere (Randolph, NJ/Randolph) then delivered a pinch-hit, two-run single to right center with the bases loaded to bring the Broncs within four at 12-8. Junior shortstop Richie Tecco (Drexel Hill, PA/Monsignor Bonner) followed with an RBI single to left to make it a three-run game and bring the tying run to the plate. After a walk, Canisius brought on their closer.

Griff reliever Tyler Smith recorded two quick outs before Bronc senior Jake Bender (Ellicott City, MD/Marriotts Bridge) stepped to the plate. Down by three runs, Bender drove the first pitch he saw over the fence in left for a walk-off grand slam to cap a seven-run seventh inning.

For the Broncs, junior reliever Anthony Arneth (Pine Beach, NJ/Central Regional) worked the final two-thirds of the contest to earn his first win of the year.

In the opener, Canisius erased a 3-2 deficit with three runs in the sixth before tacking on two more insurance runs in the eighth. The game went back-and-forth early with the Griffs opening the scoring and Rider answering.

In the opener, Tecco smacked his first career homer, a solo shot, in the fifth.

On the mound, sophomore Pete Soporowski (South Amboy, NJ/Sayreville War Memorial) was saddled with the loss after tossing five and third innings. In relief, CJ Hirchy (Toms River, NJ/Toms River HS East) worked the final three and two-thirds innings for the Broncs.  

NOTES & QUOTES
"They opened the door a little bit for us at the end of game two with the walks. Walks is the one way you can get back into it really quick. It got us some momentum. Barb's hit was big with two strikes. We got ourselves in position and we were finally able to get that clutch hit. It's a big win for us." – Rider Head Coach Barry Davis

"Obviously the momentum should carry us into tomorrow with confidence. We've been playing better. This gives us more confidence and it helps when you can come back and win a game by how much we were down. It's a good lesson for us to see that it can happen." – Davis

- Rider has now won their last three seven inning MAAC games.
- The Broncs had six hits in the opener and 13 hits in game two.
- Rider has now had 10 or more hits in a game 14 times this year.
- Four Broncs walked in the bottom of the seventh of game two.

 BRONCS BY THE NUMBERS
- In game one, Tecco had his first career homer and it came in 117th game in a Bronc uniform.
- Bender also had an RBI single in game one.
- In game two, Brennan McAllister went 3-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI.
- In the nightcap, Bender went 2-for-5 with two runs scored, four RBIs and the grand slam.
- Tecco and Harrison McClure both also had two hits apiece in the second game.
- Five different Broncs scored two runs apiece in game two.  

UP NEXT
The Broncs and Griffs close out their three-game weekend series on Sunday, April 29 with a single, nine-inning contest that is slated to begin at noon from Sonny Pittaro Field. Freshman Vincent Vitacco will get the starting nod on the mound for Rider.