EMMITSBURG, MD -  The bats were hot for the Rider baseball team on Friday morning, as the Broncs launched four home runs en route to a 12-3 win over Mount St. Mary's in the series opener. The Broncs improved to 10-5 overall (6-1 MAAC), while the Mountaineers fell to 10-9 (4-3 MAAC).

Mount St. Mary's opened the scoring with a run in the bottom of the second, but Rider responded in a big way in the third. With two outs and nobody on, Will Gallagher started the rally with a single to right-center, followed by a base hit from Erich Hartmann. After Kyle Neri worked a walk to load the bases, Paskell drove a rocket over the left-field wall for a grand slam, giving Rider a 4-1 advantage.

The Mountaineers answered with a run to trim the deficit, but the Broncs broke the game open in the later innings.

Hartmann drew a leadoff walk in the seventh before Neri connected on a two-run homer to left-center. Two batters later, Charley Magoulick added another long ball to left, extending the lead to 7-2.

Mount St. Mary's got one back on a solo homer in the bottom half of the inning, but Rider put the game out of reach in the eighth. With the bases loaded and no outs, Neri drew a walk to force in a run, and Paskell followed with a sacrifice fly. Nick Shuhet then capped the scoring with a three-run blast to left-center, pushing the Broncs' lead to 12-3.

Rider's offense totaled four home runs on the day, powering the Broncs to the series-opening win on the road.

Quotes and Notes
"We had a lot of big hits at key moments today. The biggest one was Anthony Paskell's grand slam in an inning that started with two outs and nobody on. Kyle, Charley, and Nick also came through with home runs when we needed production. Defensively, we were solid, and on the mound, our pitchers did a good job preventing the big inning and limiting opportunities. Overall, a good day, but we're looking to be even better tomorrow." - Acting Head Coach Dr. Barry Davis

- Kyle Neri, Anthony Paskell, and Nick Shuhet each launched their third home run of the season, while Charley Magoulick added his second.
- Christian Aiello earned the win in relief, improving to 5-1 on the year.

Broncs by the Numbers
- Rider totaled 12 hits in the victory.
- Shuhet paced the Broncs with a three-hit performance.
- Neri and Paskell each recorded two hits.
- Will Gallagher, Erich Hartmann, Magoulick, Eliot Medlock, and Peter Crespo each added a hit.
- Paskell led the way with five RBIs, while Neri and Shuhet drove in three runs apiece.
- Magoulick also contributed an RBI.
- PJ Craig made the start, tossing 4.2 innings while allowing five hits and two runs, striking out seven.
- Aiello earned the win in relief, going 2.1 innings with one hit and one run allowed, along with two strikeouts.
- Chris Montone delivered a scoreless inning, allowing no hits.
- Dylan Kane closed it out with one inning of work, allowing one hit, no runs, and striking out one.


Up Next
The Broncs return to action tomorrow, March 21, for game two of the series against Mount St. Mary's. 
First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m.