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Lesch
Maddie Boyd
9
Winner Princeton PRIN 15-17
6
Rider RIDER 25-12
Winner
Princeton PRIN
15-17
9
Final
6
Rider RIDER
25-12
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Princeton PRIN 2 0 2 0 1 0 0 4 0 9 12 1
Rider RIDER 1 0 2 0 1 2 0 0 0 6 10 1

W: Matt Scannell (3-1) L: Gallagher, Will (0-1) S: Jacob Faulkner (5)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Grand Slam Dooms Baseball Against Princeton

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – The Rider University baseball team dropped the Battle of 206 Wednesday afternoon, falling to Princeton, 9-6 at Sonny Pittaro Field. The Broncs fall to 25-12 on the season, while the Tigers improve to 15-17.
 
The Tigers opened the game with a leadoff home run as part of a two-run first.
 
John Volpe (Sea Girt, NJ/Wall) led off the bottom of the first with a walk, then moved up to second on a wild pitch. With one away, Socrates Bardatsos (Ridgefield, NJ/St. Joseph's Regional) hit a single back up the middle that scored Volpe, cutting the lead to 2-1.
 
In the third, Princeton struck again with a pair of runs.
 
The Broncs responded in bottom half of the inning. With one out, Bardatsos singled to right. Two batters later, Luke Lesch (Gloucester Twp., NJ/Gloucester Catholic) turned on a pitch and sent it 371 feet for a home run, trimming the deficit to 4-3.
 
After Princeton scored a run in the top half of the fifth, Scott Shaw (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill West) led off the bottom half with a single. Bardatsos hit a single through the right side that allowed Shaw to reach third, but Bardatsos was thrown out at second trying to advance on the throw to third. Brian Skettini (Midland Park, NJ/Ridgewood) drove in Shaw with a chopper that stayed just fair over third baseman's head.
 
In the sixth, Rider took its first lead of the day. Jordan Erbe (Toms River, NJ/Toms River South[UMass]) was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. Three batters later, Volpe crushed a pitch 373 feet to left center for a two-run home run, putting Rider up 6-5.
 
The Tigers reclaimed the lead in the eighth with a grand slam by Kyle Vinci, his 14th of the season and a new Princeton single-season record.
 
Quotes & Notes
"We had some opportunities. I thought we competed. We pitched four freshmen, and if we don't give up the grand slam it's five runs and maybe we win the game."
 
"We're 25-12 and we got three big games this weekend." – Head Coach Dr. Barry Davis
 
- Chris Montone (Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown) got the start for Rider, going 2.1 innings and allowing four runs on four hits. He struck out a pair.
- Christian Aiello (Hewitt, NJ/West Milford) was the first out of the pen for the Broncs, tossing 2.1 innings. He gave up one run on four hits and struck out one.
- Will Gallagher (Cranford, NJ/Cranford) tossed 3.1 innings, cruising until the eighth inning when he allowed the grand slam. He allowed just those four runs on a total of four hits. He struck out one.
- Gavin Hawkes (Yardley, PA/Pennsbury) threw a 1-2-3 ninth for the Broncs.
 
Broncs by the Numbers
- Eight different Broncs recorded hits on the day, led by three from Bardatsos.
- Five separate Broncs scored for Rider, led by Volpe, Shaw, and Bardatsos, who each scored twice.
- Lesch's home run was his fifth of the season.
- Volpe's home run was his first of the year.
 
Up Next
The Broncs return to play Friday when conference play resumes at Saint Peter's. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.
 
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