POMONA, NY – In a game that began Friday night, was suspended in the early hours of the morning Saturday, and completed after a 19-plus hour weather delay, the Rider University baseball team came from behind in a wild 11-8 victory over Niagara in an elimination game of the MAAC Tournament. With the win, the Broncs reach the championship round of the tournament for a second-straight season.
Action resumed Saturday evening after a weather delay of 19 hours and five minutes, with Rider leading 5-3 after four innings. The Broncs turned to Brian Young (Neptune, NJ/Communication) to "start" the continuation. Young retired the Purple Eagles in order in the fifth, but the Broncs were also held off the board.
In the sixth, the Purple Eagles cracked the Broncs, plating three runs to take a 6-5 lead. A solo home run to lead off the top of the seventh made the score 7-5.
Luke Lesch (Gloucester Township, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) led off the bottom of the seventh with a single off the wall in right center. Two batters later, Lesch came all the way around to score on a bloop double by Jake Barbiere (Randolph, NJ/Randolph) that dropped just in front of the sliding Niagara center fielder.
Niagara wasted no time getting that run back, as the Purple Eagles led off the eighth with another solo home run.
The Broncs finally broke the Purple Eagles in the bottom of the eighth. Scott Shaw (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill West) led off the inning with a pinch-hit double. Jack Winsett (Voorhees, NJ/Eastern Regional) followed with a walk. John Volpe (Sea Girt, NJ/Wall) followed with a double that tailed into the right field corner, scoring Brady Plunkett (Hamilton, NJ/Steinert[Rowan CC at Burlington]), who came on as a pinch runner. Socrates Bardatsos (Ridgefield, NJ/St. Joseph's Regional) then worked a full count and drew a walk that would have loaded the bases, but ball four got away from the Purple Eagles catcher and allowed Winsett to move up 90 feet from third base to tie the game. Lesch then hit a fly ball to center that was deep enough to score Volpe, giving the Broncs the lead, but Rider wasn't content there. Brian Skettini (Midland Park, NJ/ Ridgewood) drew a two out walk, then Barbiere hit another double on a hard hit ball that found the hole between the first baseman and the first base line to score Bardatsos. Alex Diamantis (Staten Island, NY/St. Peter's Boys) then placed a bunt that came to rest on top of the third base line to drive in Skettini and give Rider an 11-8 advantage.
The Broncs efficiently retired the side in the ninth to close out the game.
Quotes & Notes
"It's a tough spot, any time you're in the loser's bracket. I'm proud of my guys, they played hard. It's always exciting to play for a championship."
"I always feel like we can swing the bat. We can hit. Volpe did a great job hitting the ball on the right side, Shaw did a great job off the bench. I think just as big are Barbiere and the bunt, getting two RBIs taking advantage of the way they are playing you."
"It wasn't pretty, we're fortunate to be where we are." – Head Coach Dr. Barry Davis
"We're a close group of guys, we just all have each other's backs."
"It was an up and away pitch and I love hitting the ball away." – Junior John Volpe
- Young ran into trouble in his second inning of work, allowing three runs in a total of 1.1 innings, allowing three hits and striking out one.
- Joe Papeo (Matawan, NJ/Old Bridge) followed with two innings on the mound. He gave up two runs, both solo home runs, and struck out four.
- Cal Stalzer (West Des Moines, IA/Valley[Kirkwood CC/George Washington]) threw the final 1.2 innings, allowing just two base runners and striking out one to earn the win.
- Rider advances to the MAAC Championship Series for the fourth time under Davis, and is 3-0 in the previous trips (2008, 10, 21). All three of those appearances came out of the winner's bracket.
Broncs by the Numbers
- Barbiere led the Broncs with a total of three hits in the game.
- Rider is now 2-21 when trailing after seven innings this season. The previous comeback came when the Broncs also scored five runs in the eighth at Penn, turning a 4-1 deficit into a 6-5 victory.
Up Next
- The Broncs will look to avenge their lone loss in the tournament, Canisius, Sunday morning at 11 a.m. Rider will need to defeat the Golden Griffins in two straight games to claim the championship.
