LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – The Rider baseball team broke open a one-run game with back-to-back four-run innings late to defeat Saint Peter's, 11-2, Thursday afternoon on Sonny Pittaro Field. The Broncs improved to 28-17 overall and 20-8 in MAAC play, while the Peacocks dropped to 5-45 (1-27 MAAC).
Rider struck first in the bottom of the second inning.
Nick Shuhet drew a leadoff walk before
Eliot Medlock launched a two-run homer over the left field wall to give the Broncs a 2-0 advantage. Rider added another run later in the inning, taking advantage of a Saint Peter's error to extend the lead to 3-0.
Saint Peter's answered with single runs in the fifth and sixth innings to cut the deficit to one, but
Christian Aiello halted the momentum in the seventh, retiring the side in order with two strikeouts after entering in relief.
The Broncs responded immediately in the bottom half.
Kyle Neri worked a leadoff walk, and
Anthony Paskell followed with an RBI double to center field.
Charley Magoulick then singled to extend his hitting streak to 14 games and put runners on the corners. Shuhet ripped a double down the left field line to score another run before Medlock added a sacrifice fly. Two batters later,
Matt Leahy reached with an infield single to bring home another run and cap the inning, pushing Rider's lead to 7-2.
Rider added another four-run frame in the eighth to put the game out of reach.
Erich Hartmann walked to begin the inning and later scored on Neri's RBI double. Paskell followed with an RBI single before Shuhet lined his MAAC-leading fifth triple of the season down the right field line to plate another run. Medlock later added an RBI single to close the scoring at 11-2.
Quotes and Notes
"I think every time teams play us, they raise their level because we're one of the top teams in the conference. Everybody wants to beat us, so we knew it was going to be a tough game. I thought we weathered the storm well today and then got some big hits from Paskell, Chuck and Shuhet. Once we got rolling offensively, the momentum carried over because hitting is contagious. Those two big innings were huge for us.
Our goal is to continue playing solid fundamental baseball. Tomorrow, we have to do a better job getting off to a quicker start. If we can get another win tomorrow, we'll put ourselves in position to claim the regular season title, so we need to come back ready to play well again tomorrow and Saturday."
- Acting Head Coach Dr. Barry Davis
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Anthony Paskell recorded his 100th career RBI in the victory.
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PJ Craig earned the win to improve to 7-3 on the season after tossing 6.0 innings, allowing just one earned run while striking out four.
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Nick Shuhet collected his 14th double of the season and added his team-leading and MAAC-leading fifth triple of the year.
- Paskell notched his sixth double of the season, while
Kyle Neri recorded his 12th and
Matt Leahy added his seventh.
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Eliot Medlock launched his eighth home run of the season and drove in a game-high four runs.
- Rider finished with 14 hits and improved to 25-6 this season when recording 10 or more hits.
- Rider has scored 10 or more runs in 16 games this season and owns a 14-2 record in those contests.
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Charley Magoulick extended his hitting streak to 14 games, while
Peter Crespo pushed his on-base streak to 14 games.
- With a win tomorrow, the Broncs can secure at least a share of the MAAC regular season title.
Broncs by the Numbers
- Rider totaled 14 hits in the victory.
- Leahy paced the offense with a three-hit performance.
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Will Gallagher, Neri, Paskell, Shuhet and Medlock each recorded two hits, while Sean Hartmann added one.
- Medlock drove in four runs, while Shuhet, Leahy and Paskell each tallied two RBI. Neri also added an RBI.
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Christian Aiello was dominant out of the bullpen, tossing 2.0 hitless innings with four strikeouts.
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Jack Ruditzky closed out the win with a scoreless ninth inning, allowing one hit and striking out one.
Up Next
The Broncs continue the series against Saint Peter's on Friday, May 15, at Sonny Pittaro Field.
First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
