RIVERDALE, NY – David Bermudez (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick) and Sean McGeehan (Hamilton, NJ/Nottingham) each drove in three and Pete Soporowski (Sayreville, NJ/Sayreville War Memorial) earne his third-straight complete-game victory in Game 1 as the Rider University baseball team split at Manhattan Friday afternoon. The Broncs took Game 1, 10-2, before falling, 8-1, in Game 2.

Manhattan scored first in Game 1 with a single tally in the bottom of the first. The first two Jaspers hitters singled, before moving up 90 feet on a passed ball. A groundout to third scored the run before a pair of flyouts rendered the run unearned. Rider immediately evened the score in the top of the second on David Bermudez's (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick) leadoff solo home run, starting a stretch of 10 unanswered runs for the Broncs.

Consecutive two-out RBI doubles from Tyler Stockwell (La Plata, MD/La Plata High School) and Bermudez put Rider on top, 3-1, in the third, before two walks, a sacrifice bunt and an error scored a fourth Rider run in the fourth. Bermudez effectively started and finished a six-run fifth for the Broncs, singling to set the table before three free passes plated him. Scott Shaw (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill High School West) followed with an RBI single, before Sean McGeehan (Hamilton, NJ/Nottingham) hit a three-run home run. Two walks later, Bermudez made it 10-1 with an RBI single.

In the meantime, Pete Soporowski (Sayreville, NJ/Sayreville War Memorial) mowed down 16 consecutive batters before surrendering a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth to account for the 10-2 final score.    

In Game 2, Manhattan took advantage of a hit-by-pitch and two walks to the first four batters before getting a two-run single and a sacrifice fly to take a 3-0 lead after one. A two-out RBI double in the second made it 4-0 Jaspers after two. The Broncs mounted threats, loading the bases in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings, but could not capitalize on any of the opportunities.

The Jaspers answered with a run in the sixth, two more in the seventh and another in the eighth to put the game out of reach at 8-0. Rider pieced together a run in the ninth as Luke Lesch Gloucester Township, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) doubled and scored on a Brian Skettini (Midland Park, NJ/Ridgewood) single. But Manhattan got the next two outs to close the Game 2 victory.

Notes
- Soporowski finished Game 1 with a line of 7.0 innings pitched, two runs, one earned, five strikeouts and one walk.
- The walk came to begin the seventh following 21.0 innings pitched to begin the season without a base on balls.
- Jake Andrey (Cherry Hill, NJ/The King's Christian School) got the Game 2 start and took the loss, allowing four earned runs on six hits and a walk in 3.0 innings pitched.
- Liam Harding (Staten Island, NY/Saint Peter's Boys) pitched two scoreless, hitless frames in relief in Game 2. He hit two batters and walked one, while striking out one.   
- The Broncs and Jaspers close out their four-game series with a doubleheader tomorrow in Riverdale. First pitch is set for noon.     

Broncs by the Numbers
- Bermudez led the Broncs with four hits, three RBI's and two runs scored. He doubled, homered and was also hit by a pitch.
- McGeehan added a pair of doubles, a homer, three RBI's and a run scored. He also walked three times and stole a base.
- Lou Priolo (Voorhees, NJ/Eastern) added a pair of hits, including a double, and scored twice.
- Lesch scored a team-high three runs.
- Rider was 2-for-2 on stolen-base attempts on the day, and the Broncs are now 19-for-19 on the year.