LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ– The Rider University Baseball team kicked off their eight-game home stand with a 9-7 win over Villanova in the opening game of the 2024 Liberty Bell Classic. With the win, Rider moves to 6-14 and Villanova drops to 7-15.
Villanova started the scoring in the first inning going ahead 1-0 in the first thanks to a base hit, scoring Jack O'Reilly who doubled to start the inning. However, Rider's offense responded in the second bringing home a pair of runs starting with Joe Tiroly (Yardley, PA/ Pennsbury) scoring on a wild pitch to tie the game at one. The Broncs went on to take the lead as Anthony Paskell (Solon, OH/Saint Ignatius) scored on a fielder choice giving Rider a 2-1 lead.
Villanova retook the lead in the fourth scoring two runs in the top half of the inning going ahead 3-2. However, the Broncs' offense found an answer in the bottom of the fifth starting with Matt Shepherd (Drexel Hill, PA/Monsignor Bonner|Rowan College of South Jersey) earning a walk and then scoring due to a wild pitch and obstruction by the Wildcats third baseman to tie the game at three. Tiroly was again looked upon to get the Broncs on the board as he drove in a pair of runs to give Rider a 5-3 lead after five.
The Broncs put up another multi-run inning in the sixth where again a pair of runs scored starting with a two-run double from Jack Winsett (Voorhees, NJ/Eastern Regional). Winsett was followed up by fellow senior captain Brian Skettini (Midland Park, NJ/Ridgewood) gaining his fourth straight game with an RBI, driving in Winsett to extend the lead to five.
The Broncs' scoring wrapped up in the seventh where they loaded the bases to start the frame with a pair of walks and a base hit from Matt Leahy (Woolwich, NJ/Gloucester Catholic). Shepherd drove in the run on a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch to extend the Rider lead to six.
Villanova fought back in the final two frames scoring four runs in the last two innings including a solo home run in the top of the ninth to cut the lead down to just two. Following the home run, Colby McNeely (Milmont Park, PA/The Haverford School) shut the door picking up a pair of punch outs, earning his first save of the year and securing the Broncs' fourth straight win.
Quotes and Notes
"A good win for us, a couple of key hits by Tiroly and Winsett to separate ourselves. We pitched in critical situations often, we need to continue to develop. Our defense was good again today." –
Rider Baseball Head Coach Dr. Barry Davis
-"It feels great to be back home, to just go get food hang out in the locker room it's definitely an advantage for sure. It was awesome going into the weekend, it was a brand new season essentially."-
Senior Catcher Brian Skettini
- Christian Aiello (Hewitt, NJ/West Milford) got the win out of the pen, pitching one scoreless inning.
- McNeely got the save pitching one inning with a pair of strikeouts and one earned run.
- Rider will continue Liberty Bell Classic action next Tuesday vs Lehigh.
Broncs by the Numbers
- Rider had 10 hits in the win with Winsett, Skettini, Tiroly, Leahy, and Luke Lesch (Gloucester Township, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) all recording hits in the win
- Shepherd, Winsett, Skettini, and Tiroly all had RBIs in the win
- Skettini moves his RBI streak to four straight games.
- Lesch moved his on-base streak to 20 games and his hit streak to 14 games
- Skettini moved his on-base streak to 13.
Up Next
The Broncs get set for their MAAC home opener with Saint Peters on Thursday, March 28th.
