GREENVILLE, N.C – The Rider University baseball team dropped their second matchup of the year with a 7-0 loss in game two of the series with #11 East Carolina. With the loss, Rider moves to 0-2, and ECU improves to 2-0, scoring the opening weekend series win.

After a scoreless first inning for both sides, ECU brought steady offense through the next three innings doing all of their damage in the second, third, and fourth innings. 
 
The biggest scoring frame came in the third where the Pirates kicked off the inning with a Jacob Starling solo home run to take a three-run lead. ECU followed it by scoring an additional pair of runs in the frame off back-to-back RBIs from a looping base hit from Dixon Williams and a ground out from Carter Cunnigham.

After the ECU runin the fourth, the Broncs would turn to Christian Coombes (Ontario, Canada/Parkside Collegiate Institute [Saint Peters]). Coombes was solid in his first appearance as a Bronc coming out of the pen for 2.2 innings with no runs while allowing only one hit. Sophomore Gavin Hawkes (Yardley, PA/Pennsbury) came in to finish off the ballgame, working for an impressive 2.1 innings with a pair of strikeouts allowing no runs on two hits.

Quotes & Notes
"Once again, their pitchers were very good and tough on us. We did hit the ball hard at times but we just need to be more consistent at the plate. It'll get better but only if we work at it, we control it."

 "I thought our bullpen was excellent. Coombes and Hawkes were very good. We get one more opportunity tomorrow and we need to continue to improve." – Rider Baseball Head Coach Dr. Barry Davis

- PJ Craig  (Barnegat, NJ/Barnegat) got the start and received the loss, being tagged for seven runs on nine hits in three innings of work.

Broncs by the Numbers
- Rider had five hits in the ball game with all five coming from five different Broncs. Anthony Paskell (Solon, OH/Saint Ignatius), Brian Skettini (Midland Park, NJ/Ridgewood), Luke Lesch (Gloucester Twp., NJ/Gloucester Catholic), and Joe Tiorly (Yardley, PA/Pennsbury) each recorded their first hits of the season with Kyle Neri (Williamstown, NJ/St. Augustine Prep [Bryant]) recording a hit for the second-straight game. 
- Hawkes and Coombes combined for five innings of work with no  runs on only three hits.
 
Up Next
The Broncs get set for the finale vs #11 ECU tomorrow at 1:00 pm