LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – The Rider baseball team earned a dramatic 12-11 walk-off victory over Sacred Heart on Friday afternoon in a back-and-forth battle. The Broncs scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth to clinch the series at Sonny Pittaro Field.

Rider found themselves in an early 3-0 hole as Sacred Heart jumped ahead with three runs in the opening frame.

The Broncs responded quickly in the bottom half of the first, putting up four runs on four hits. Matt Leahy sparked the rally with a leadoff single, followed by Erich Hartmann's base hit. Nick Shuhet then ripped a two-run single through the left side to cut the deficit to 3-2. 

Moments later, Anthony Paskell delivered a two-run double to give Rider a 4-3 lead.

The Pioneers answered right back in the second inning, plating two more runs to retake the lead at 5-4.

In the bottom of the third, Peter Crespo brought home Kyle Neri with a sacrifice fly to tie the game at five. 

Charley Magoulick kept the momentum going with a two-run homer over the right field fence, putting Rider up 7-5.

Sacred Heart kept the back-and-forth battle going, plating a run in the top of the fourth to make it 7-6. 

Shuhet came through again for Rider in the bottom half, doubling to right to score Joe Tiroly and extend the lead to 8-6.

The Pioneers refused to go away, tying the game at 8-8 with solo home runs in the fifth and sixth innings from Zach Kovalchik and Alex Ungar.

Rider reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the sixth, loading the bases and bringing in their ninth run on a walk drawn by Crespo.

Sacred Heart answered again in the seventh, using Ungar's two-run double as the catalyst for a three-run inning that put the Pioneers back on top, 11-9.

But the Broncs battled back once more in the bottom of the seventh. With the bases loaded, Tiroly reached on a fielder's choice to bring in one run, and Neri followed with a clutch RBI double up the middle to knot the game at 11.

After a quiet top of the ninth from Sacred Heart, managing just one hit, the Broncs stepped up in the bottom half, looking to close it out. 

Tiroly led off with a single, moved to second on a wild pitch, and advanced to third on a groundout by Neri. After Shuhet was intentionally walked, Paskell came to the plate and delivered the game-winning sacrifice fly, sealing a thrilling 12-11 victory and a series win for Rider.

Quotes and Notes
"Another big win today against a tough club. Proud of how our guys took the punches and responded — showed a lot of grit. We're ready for another battle tomorrow as we go for the sweep." – Rider Interim Head Coach Lee Lipinski

- Jake Dorety earned the win, moving him to 4-0 on the season. 
- The Broncs have now won six conference series, with their only MAAC series loss coming against Quinnipiac. 
- Rider moves to 23-10 overall and 14-5 in the MAAC.
- Tiroly and Gallagher extend their hitting streak to nine games

Broncs by the Numbers
- Rider had 15 hits in the victory with Neri, Magoulick, and Gallagher each recording one hit.
- Hartmann, Tiroly, and Paskell each had two hits. 
- Leahy and Shuhet led the team, each recording three hits in the win.
- Tiroly and Neri each recorded an RBI.
- Crespo and Magoulcik had two RBIs each. 
- Paskell and Shuhet led the Broncs with three RBIs each. 
- Brian Young started on the mound for the Broncs, pitching 6.0 innings, allowing 11 hits, seven earned runs, and four strikeouts.
- Gavin Hawkes pitched 2.0 innings, allowing three hits, three earned runs, and one strikeout.
- Jake Dorety closed the game out for Rider, pitching 0.1 inning, allowing zero hits, zero runs, and striking out one batter.  

Up Next
The Broncs return to action tomorrow to close out the series with Sacred Heart. 
First pitch is set for 12 p.m.