JOHNSON CITY, TN – The Rider University baseball team dropped both legs of the doubleheader at East Tennessee State on Sunday afternoon. The Broncs rallied late in game one but fell, 5-4, and the Bucs secured game two, 11-1, to wrap up the doubleheader. With the losses, Rider falls to 0-6 and ETSU moves to 6-1.
In game one, ETSU started strong thanks to a Cameron Sisneros RBI double and a two-run base hit from JD Yakubinis to give the Bucs a 3-0 lead in the first innings. However, following the tough start Justin Costanzo (East Greenwich, N.J./Gloucester Catholic) got the Broncs on the board with a solo home run in the second to make it a two-run ball game.
After ETSU added runs in the fifth and sixth innings to extend the lead late in the contest, Luke Lesch (Gloucester Township, NJ/ Gloucester Catholic) tried to kickstart the Broncs' comeback with a three-run home run in the top of the ninth cutting the lead to one. The Broncs' comeback in game one would come up short with ETSU taking the first matchup 5-4.
In game two, Matt Shepherd (Drexel Hill, PA Monsignor Bonner Rowan College of South Jersey) scored the Broncs' lone run starting the sixth inning with a base hit to left field. Matt Leahy (Woolwich, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) moved Sheperd to third with a base knock of his own a moment later and Anthony Paskell (Solon, OH/Saint Ignatius) hit into a sacrifice fly to drive in the Broncs catcher.
Quotes & Notes
"Well, all I can say is we have plenty of work ahead of us. All of us. Winning is tough and this was definitely a character test for us." –
Rider Baseball Head Coach Dr. Barry Davis
- Jake Dorety (Burlington, NJ/Burlington TWP) started for the Broncs in game one going four innings with an allowing four runs on six hits in the loss. Dorety moves to 0-2 on the season.
- Christian Aiello (Hewitt, NJ/West Milford) pitched four innings in relief in game one with four strikeouts allowing only one run on one hit.
- Brian Young (Neptune, NJ/Communication High School) got the start in game two and suffered the loss allowing five earned runs on ten hits in three innings of work.
- Costanzo recorded his first career home run with Rider.
- Lesch hit his first home run of the year in game one.
- Erich Hartmann (Medford, NJ/Shawnee) made his 2024 Rider debut in the double-header
Broncs by the Numbers
- Rider had five hits in the first contest with Lesch, Costanzo, Brian Skettini, and Hartmann all registering a hit.
- Skettini and Shepherd both had their first multi-hit games of 2024 with Skettini having two hits in game one and Shepherd having a pair in game two.
- Lesch and Jack Winsett (Voorhees, NJ/Eastern Regional) continued their on-base streaks in the doubleheader with both successfully reaching base in all six games.
- The three-run homer for Lesch is his 22nd as a Bronc and his 115th RBI
- Costanzo also recorded RBIs in back-to-back matchups playing in games one and two of the weekend set.
Up Next
The Broncs return to the Northeast to face off with Lafayette on Wednesday, February 28th with game time and location to be determined.
