HAMDEN, CT– The Rider University Baseball team swept the doubleheader in their MAAC opening series vs Quinnipiac winning 11-3 in game one and 11-8 in game two. With the wins, Rider starts MAAC play at 2-0 and moves to 4-14 on the year, and Quinnipiac moves to 5-15 and 0-2 in the MAAC.

 

The Broncs started the afternoon's scoring in a massive way as freshman Joe Tiroly  (Yardley, PA/Pennsbury) belted a two-run homer to left-center giving the Broncs an early lead on the day, 2-0 in game one. The Broncs would hold the lead throughout the first contest never trailing in their first win of the day.

 

Later on in game one, Rider exploded for six runs in the top of the sixth. Brian Skettini (Midland Park, NJ/Ridgewood) and Luke Lesch (Gloucester Township, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) started the inning with a pair of base hits, and the Broncs would load the bases a moment later as Erich Hartmann (Medford, NJ/Shawnee) reached on an error. The massive inning's scoring started with Kyle Neri's (Williamstown, N.J./St. Augustine Prep |Bryant) seventh RBI of the year driving in Skettini to go up 3-0. Another Broncs run would score off a sacrifice fly and the inning would be capped off by Matt Shepherd (Drexel Hill, PA/Monsignor Bonner|Rowan College of South Jersey) and Jack Winsett (Voorhees, NJ/Eastern Regional) both plating a pair of runs to go ahead 8-0.

 

Quinnipiac did see their first strong offense in the bottom of the sixth scoring three runs to cut the lead to five. However, Rider still had more gas in the tank with three runs in the top of the eighth. The Broncs again loaded the bases in the inning and Skettini drove in Tiroly to wrap things up 11-3 in game one.

 

In game two, the Broncs started the scoring in the top of the first, as Lesch delivered the first of three hits, driving in Winsett to go ahead 1-0. However, the Bobcats fired back with a trio of runs in the bottom of the first. In the second, Matt Leahy (Woolwich, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) found the answer to the big Bobcat inning with a grand slam to put Rider up 5-3. The homer is the first of the career for Leahy and was good for his fifth RBI on the doubleheader. Later in the inning, the Broncs would go ahead 6-3 as Shepherd scored on an error from the second basemen for Quinnipiac.The Bobcats continued to fight and claw with the Broncs as they added a run to answer in the second and a pair of runs on a two-run home run, making it a 7-6 game in the fourth. 

 

In the eighth Rider took a two-run lead thanks to a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch scoring Winsett putting the Broncs up 8-6. However, the Bobcats hit their second two-run bomb of the game tying the game at 8 in the eighth. 

 

Rider's biggest at-bat of the day came from Brian Skettini who worked with a pair of base runners on and one out in the top of the ninth. Skettini drilled a ball down the left-field line giving the Broncs an 11-8 lead late in the ball game. Skettini's ninth-inning homer is his third of the year and 11th of his career. 

 

Brian Young (Neptune, NJ/Communication High School)  would help Rider sweep the Bobcats in the doubleheader picking up a pair of punch outs to start the inning. Quinnipiac did get a pair of base runners aboard in the ninth but Young and the Rider defense shut the door picking up their first MAAC wins of the year.

 

"Overall, it's the best we've been all year offensively. Some big hits all day. Skettini's three-run home run was the biggest in the top of the ninth. We pitched better, we limited the walks, and the bullpen was good. They got the outs when they needed to, and they handled themselves on defense well. A solid day for us." – Rider Baseball Head Coach Dr. Barry Davis

- In game one Clayton Poliey (Ringwood, NJ/Don Bosco Prep) got the start and the win pitching five innings allowing two runs on three hits.

- PJ Craig (Barnegat, NJ/Barnegat) got the start for Rider going seven innings with four strikeouts allowing six runs on 10 hits in game two.

- Young got the win by pitching 1.1 scoreless innings with a pair of strikeouts in game two.

 

 - Rider had a combined 23 hits in the two games and tied a season-high in hits with 14 in game two.

- Lesch moved his on-base streak to 18 games and his hit streak to 12 games

- Justin Costanzo (East Greenwich, N.J/ Gloucester Catholic|Widener) and Skettini both moved their on-base streaks to double digits, Costanzo with 12 and Skettini with 11.

 

The Broncs continue action in Hamden vs Quinnipiac on Sunday, March 24th.