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Lesch
Demetrius Kazanas
2
Winner Rider RIDER 31-15
1
Duke DU 32-14
Winner
Rider RIDER
31-15
2
Final
1
Duke DU
32-14
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Rider RIDER 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 4 0
Duke DU 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 0

W: Gallagher, Will (1-1) L: Beilenson, Charlie (3-2) S: Kirwin, Danny (12)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Baseball Tops Sixth-Ranked Duke Behind Pitching Gem and Clutch Lesch Double

DURHAM, NC – The Rider University baseball team got a statement win Tuesday evening, topping Duke, 2-1, at Jack Coombs Field. The Broncs improve to 31-15 on the season with the win. The Blue Devils, who entered the game ranked sixth by Collegiate Baseball and tenth by D1Baseball, fall to 32-14.
 
The Blue Devils got on the board first in the bottom of the opening frame with a two-out, two-strike home run.
 
Rider immediately responded with a long ball of its own. Leading off the top of the second, Luke Lesch (Gloucester Twp., NJ/Gloucester Catholic) launched a 1-0 pitch off the scoreboard in right center, tying the game at 1-1.
 
Both pitching staffs settled in from that point. The Blue Devils had the better opportunities in the middle innings, putting runners on second and third with no outs in the sixth, but back-to-back strike outs, followed by fly out got the Broncs out of trouble. In the eighth, Duke loaded the bases with two outs, but a weak chopper to Jack Winsett (Voorhees, NJ/Eastern Regional) at third ended the inning.
 
Socrates Bardatsos (Ridgefield, NJ/St. Joseph's Regional) opened the ninth with a single. After being pulled for a pinch runner in the form of Brady Plunkett (Hamilton, NJ/Steinert[Rowan CC at Burlington]), Brian Skettini (Midland Park, NJ/Ridgewood) laid down a sacrifice bunt. After moving up 90 feet on a wild pitch, Lesch drilled a line drive just inside the first-base bag for an RBI double that gave the Broncs a 2-1 lead.
 
The Blue Devils threatened again in the ninth, loading the bases with one out, but back-to-back strikeouts closed out the game for the Broncs.
 
Quotes & Notes
"Our guys competed for all nine innings, which is what you have to do against a team the caliber of Duke."
 
"We got a couple of big hits by Luke, and a well-pitched game by Sachais, Aiello, Gallagher, and Kirwin." – Head Coach Dr. Barry Davis
 
- Alec Sachais (Egg Harbor Twp., NJ/Holy Spirit) started for the Broncs, tossing three innings and allowing one run on one hit. He struck out three.
- Christian Aiello (Hewitt, NJ/West Milford) came on in relief and threw three scoreless innings, scattering three hits and tying a career-high with five strikeouts.
- Will Gallagher (Cranford, NJ/Cranford) fired two scoreless innings, giving up one hit and striking out one. Gallagher earned his first collegiate win.
- Danny Kirwin (Lansdale, PA/North Penn) came in for the ninth and worked his way into and out of trouble. He struck out three and earned his national-leading 12th save of the season.
- Winsett extended his reached base streak to 15 games.
- The Broncs earned a win over a ranked opponent for the first time since the 2021 MAAC Championship Game, when the Broncs topped then 28th-ranked Fairfield.
- Tuesday's game was Rider's first win over an ACC opponent since topping Virginia Tech in 2015.
 
Broncs by the Numbers
- Three Broncs combined for Rider's four hits, with Lesch leading the way with his pair.
- Lesch had both of the Broncs' RBIs.
- Lesch's home run is his sixth of the season, and 19th of his career.
- Both pitching staffs combined for 12 strikeouts in the contest.
 
Up Next
The Broncs return to action Wednesday, when the Broncs remain in Durham for the second of two games at Duke. First pitch will again be at 6 p.m.
 
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