LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – The Rider baseball team defeated Merrimack to kick off the series with a dominant 13-3 win on Friday afternoon at Sonny Pittaro Field.
The Broncs struck first in the bottom of the opening inning, scoring a run off a groundout.
The score remained 1-0 until the bottom of the fourth when
Nick Shuhet delivered a three-run blast over left field, extending Rider's lead to 4-0. Moments later,
Matt Leahy executed a bunt, allowing
Will Gallagher to cross home plate and make it 5-0.
Merrimack finally got on the board in the top of the sixth, cutting the Broncs' lead to 5-1.
Rider responded quickly in the bottom of the sixth with two more runs, courtesy of an
Erich Hartmann triple and a Leahy single, pushing the lead to 7-1.
The Broncs added another run in the seventh, making it 8-1.
Merrimack chipped away at the deficit in the top of the eighth, narrowing the score to 8-3.
In the bottom of the eighth, Rider loaded the bases, and
Joe Tiroly drew a walk to bring in the first of five runs the Broncs would score that inning.
The offensive surge continued with freshman
Peter Crespo's single to left field, driving in two more runs and increasing the lead to 12-3.
Crespo would later score the final run of the game on a Merrimack fielding error, sealing the 13-3 series-opening victory for the Broncs.
Quotes and Notes
"
Brian Young delivered another outstanding performance today. We played hard for all nine innings and took advantage of our opportunities. I'm looking forward to seeing PJ take the mound tomorrow and keep our momentum going."
– Interim Head Coach Lee Lipinski
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Brian Young earned the win moving him to 3-0 on the season.
- Rider claimed the victory in the team's first-ever meeting against Merrimack in program history.
Broncs by the Numbers
- The Broncs racked up 13 hits in the victory with
Charley Magoulick,
Griffin Puvel, and
Will Gallagher each recording one hit.
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Erich Hartmann, Crespo, and Shuhet each had two hits in the contest.
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Matt Leahy led the Broncs going 4-5 at bat.
- Hartmann and Neri each had an RBI.
- Leahy, Tiroly, and Crespo each contributed two RBIs in the win.
- Shuhet had a team-high of four RBIs in game one.
- Young pitched 6.0 innings, allowing six hits, one earned run, and eight strikeouts.
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Gavin Hawkes closed the game out for the Broncs, pitching 3.0 innings, allowing five hits and two earned runs.
Up Next
The Broncs return to action tomorrow Mar. 22 to continue their weekend series with Merrimack on Sonny Pittaro Field.
First pitch is set for 1 p.m.
