NEW ROCHELLE, NY – The Rider University baseball team topped Iona, 9-7 in the rubber game of the series Sunday afternoon. The Broncs improve to 30-15 overall, and 13-5 in MAAC play. The Gaels fall to 11-33 on the season, and 7-11 in league games.
 
Iona jumped out to an early lead scoring one in the first, two in the second, and one in the third to build a 4-0 lead.
 
In the fourth, Rider found the scoring column. Luke Lesch (Gloucester Twp., NJ/Gloucester Catholic) hit a one-out double. Two batters later, Socrates Bardatsos (Ridgefield, NJ/St. Joseph's Regional) singled him home.
 
The score remained 4-1 into the seventh when Jordan Erbe (Toms River, NJ/Toms River South[UMass]) led off the inning with a home run to left field. The Gaels scored a run in the bottom of the seventh to extend the lead back to 5-2.
 
In the eighth, Brendan O'Donnell (Malvern, PA/Great Valley) led off the inning with a walk. Three batters later, Erbe was hit by a pitch. Erich Hartmann (Medford, NJ/Shawnee) then came on as a pinch hitter and ripped a double to right field that scored O'Donnell. John Volpe (Sea Girt, NJ/Wall) followed with a two-run single that tied the game. After Scott Shaw (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill West) drew a walk, Brian Skettini (Midland Park, NJ/Ridgewood) drove a double to left center that scored two and put the Broncs on top 7-5. The Gaels would tie the game with a pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth.
 
O'Donnell led off the ninth with a double. Bardatsos then gave Rider the lead with a single to center field. Three batters later, Anthony Paskell (Solon, OH/Saint Ignatius) delivered an RBI single to provide a key insurance run.
 
Quotes & Notes
"A tough win today. We battled back and stayed with it. PJ did a great job today. He settled the game down and gave us a chance to get back in it. Offensively, we got timely hits by Hartmann, Volpe, Skettini, O'Donnell, Socratos, Erbe, and Paskell." – Head Coach Dr. Barry Davis
 
- Rider has won 10 of 11 weekend series this season.
- Brian Young (Neptune, NJ/Communication) started on the mound for the Broncs, going 2.1 innings, allowing four runs on eight hits. He struck out two.
- PJ Craig (Barnegat, NJ/Barnegat) tossed 3.2 no-hit innings out of the pen, keeping the Gaels within striking distance. He struck out five and walked just one.
- Danny Kirwin (Lansdale, PA/North Penn) tossed the final three innings, giving up three runs, two earned, on two hits. He struck out two and earned his sixth victory of the season.
- Skettini and Winsett each reached base for the 14^th-straight game.
- The Broncs win 30 games for the first time since the 2013 season.
 
Broncs by the Numbers
- Nine different Broncs recorded a hit in the game, led by two each from Volpe, Skettini, Lesch and Bardatsos.
- Volpe, Skettini, and Bardatsos led Rider with a pair of RBIs.
- Erbe's home run is his third of the season.
 
Up Next
The Broncs return to action Tuesday, when the Broncs visit Duke for a 6 p.m. start.