ORONO, ME- The Rider University baseball team blasted three home runs en route to capturing their fourth-weekend series sweep, defeating Maine 13-2 on Sunday afternoon. With the win, Rider moves to 19-16 on the season and drops Maine to 8-26. 

On a high-scoring afternoon for the Broncs, it was the opposition who scored first as Maine crossed the plate in the second inning thanks to a one-out double to put a pair in scoring position. However, Rider starter Clayton Poliey (Ringwood, NJ/Don Bosco Prep) managed to get the Broncs out of the inning stranding a runner in scoring position keeping it a one-run game. 

The first Rider run came from freshman Joe Tiroly (Yardley, PA/Pennsbury), who started the fourth inning with a lead-off walk. Tiroly was moved around to third by a wild pitch and a ground out and came in to score off a sacrifice fly from Anthony Paskell (Solon, OH/Saint Ignatius). 

The Broncs went on to take their first lead of the game with a solo homer from Brian Skettini (Midland Park, NJ/Ridgewood) to make it 2-1. The round-tripper is Skettini's 15th of his career, his team-best sixth of the season, and was the first of three bombs from the Broncs on the day.

In the sixth, the Broncs ran into a bit of trouble with the Black Bears tying the game at two after loading the bases with nobody down. But Maine was only able to get one run across, as the Broncs turned to Christian Aiello (Hewitt, NJ/West Milford) to get them out of the inning. Aiello was stellar in relief getting the eventual win pitching four innings with no hits, no earned runs, and four strikeouts. 

The Maine run in the sixth fired up the Broncs' bats as Rider went on to score 11 runs in the last three innings. The first bit of scoring came from Matt Leahy (Woolwich, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) who led off the inning by reaching on an error at first. The Broncs loaded the bases and took the lead on a pair of bases-loaded walks going ahead 4-2. The inning capped off with a passed ball scoring Luke Lesch (Gloucester, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) to extend the lead to three.

In the seventh, Rider poured the runs on, starting with their second homer of the day and the second of the week for Kyle Neri (Williamstown, N.J./ St. Augustine Prep) leading off the inning with a bang. Following the Neri home run Leahy hit a two-bagger and was later scored by Jack Winsett (Voorhees, NJ/Eastern) on a fielder choice. Rider finished the inning almost the same as how it started with Lesch hitting the third extra-base hit of the inning scoring a pair and that was followed up with Tiroly launching a ball to right bouncing it off the scoreboard for a two-run home run to finish the five-run eighth. 

In the ninth Rider went with a pair of pinch hitters to lead off with Griffin Puvel (Thurmont, MD/Saint John's Catholic Prep) and AJ Labrusciano (Fredericksburg, VA/North Stafford) both getting on to start the inning. Both eventually came in to score with Puvel doing so on a wild pitch and Labrusciano scoring on a Skettini RBI base hit to go up 12-3 in the top of the ninth. 

Aiello worked 1-2-3 in the ninth going perfect in his four innings of work not allowing a single base runner in the relief appearance en route to the win.

-" It's difficult to sweep anyone, especially on the road. Give our guys credit, it was a long trip against a quality program. We pitched well, Poliey and Aiello were outstanding. We defended well and hit when we needed to. It was a satisfying weekend." Rider Head Coach Dr Barry Davis 

- Aiello got the win going four perfect innings not allowing a base runner to his ledger on the day.

- Rider had 14 hits with Winsett, Skettini, Lesch, Tiroly, Paskell, Neri, Leahy, Labrusciano, and Richie Sica (Wyckoff, NJ/Ramapo) all getting a hit on the day.

- Every batter on the day reached at least once for Rider. 

- Lesch has reached in all 35 games played this year. While also capturing his 198th career hit 

- Tiroly gets his 9th multi-RBI game which leads all Rider batters.

The Broncs head to Seton Hall for a midweek nonconference meeting with the Pirates starting at 4 PM.