LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – After coming up just short in game two, Rider baseball responded in dramatic fashion, as Charley Magoulick crushed a walk-off grand slam in the series finale to lift the Broncs to a series-clinching win on Saturday at Sonny Pittaro Field. Rider improves to 22-13 (16-5 MAAC), while Manhattan falls to 14-22 (7-14 MAAC).

Game One
Manhattan struck first, plating a run in the third inning.

Rider answered in the bottom of the fourth. Anthony Paskell led off with a single to center, and Nick Shuhet followed with a one-out walk to put two on. With two outs, Peter Crespo delivered an RBI single to right, tying the game at 1-1.

The Jaspers broke through in the sixth, scoring four runs to take control. The Broncs responded with three runs in the home half. Paskell was hit by a pitch and Will Gallagher singled to put runners on the corners. Eliot Medlock was then hit by a pitch to load the bases, setting up Crespo's two-run double to cut the deficit to 5-3. Gallagher followed with an RBI single to bring Rider within one.

Manhattan added an insurance run in the ninth and held on for a 6-4 victory.

Game Two
Rider wasted no time jumping on the board in the second half of the double header. Erich Hartmann singled with one out in the first, and after Kyle Neri reached on a fielder's choice, Paskell drew a walk to put two on. Following a passed ball, Magoulick drove in two with a double to right.

The Broncs kept the pressure on, as Shuhet and Medlock drew back-to-back walks to load the bases before Crespo worked a bases-loaded walk to make it 3-0.

Rider added three more in the second. Gallagher drew a leadoff walk, and Neri was hit by a pitch before both runners advanced on a wild pitch. Paskell drew another walk to load the bases, and Magoulick brought in a run with a groundout. Shuhet followed with a walk, and Medlock ripped a two-run single to extend the lead to 6-0.

Manhattan answered in the third with a three-run homer and added two more runs in the inning to cut the deficit to 6-5.

The game remained scoreless until the sixth, when Magoulick tripled off the center field wall and later scored on an RBI single from Shuhet to make it 7-5. Rider added another run in the seventh, capitalizing on a pair of Jasper errors to extend the lead to 8-5.

The Jaspers rallied again in the eighth, scoring three runs to tie the game. Crespo's sacrifice fly in the bottom half gave Rider a 9-8 edge, but Manhattan responded with a solo home run in the ninth to even the score at 9-9.

In the bottom of the ninth, Rider loaded the bases, and Magoulick delivered in the biggest moment of the game, crushing a walk-off grand slam over the right field wall to secure a 13-9 victory and seal the series for the Broncs.

Quotes and Notes

"We showed a lot of perseverance today, but I also think we battled ourselves at times. We built a big lead and then let them chip away and get back into it. We had multiple chances to put the game away, but you have to give Manhattan credit, their hitters were tough outs, and they never quit. They were a really tough opponent.

I thought our pitching was solid throughout, and then we got the big swing from Charley. He got into a 2-0 count, saw a good pitch, and put a great swing on it because he absolutely crushed it. We're fortunate to come away with another MAAC series win, but games like this are valuable. There's a lot we can learn from and continue to grow, but ultimately we did enough to get the win today." - Acting Head Coach Dr. Barry Davis

- Batt took the loss in game one, while Conner Flynn earned the win in the finale to improve to 3-1 on the season.
- Crespo recorded his fifth double of the year, while Magoulick delivered a career day, driving in seven runs and launching his sixth home run of the season.
- With the victory, Rider secured its seventh MAAC series win and remains atop the conference standings.
- The Broncs totaled 13 hits in the finale, improving to 20-6 this season when recording 10 or more.

Broncs by the Numbers
Game One
- Rider finished with eight hits, led by multi-hit efforts from Crespo, Gallagher, and Paskell.
- Magoulick and Medlock each added a hit, while Crespo paced the offense with three RBIs and Gallagher drove in one.
- On the mound, Batt tossed 6.0 innings, allowing eight hits and three earned runs while striking out one. 
- Christian Aiello provided relief, working 3.0 innings with four strikeouts while allowing one run on four hits.

Game Two
- The Broncs collected 13 hits in the win, with Hartmann, Shuhet, and Magoulick each recording three-hit performances. 
- Medlock added two hits, while Neri and Paskell chipped in one apiece.
- Magoulick led the way with seven RBIs, while Medlock and Crespo each drove in two and Shuhet added one. 
- Rider used seven pitchers in the game, with Aiello, Clayton Poliey, Jake Dorety, Dylan Kane, Frank Papeo, Chris Montone, and Flynn all seeing time on the mound.

Up Next
Rider returns to action on April 24, traveling to Monmouth for a weekend series. 
First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.