GAINESVILLE, FL – The fourth-seeded Rider University baseball team was defeated Saturday in an elimination game at the Gainesville Regional, falling to third-seeded Troy, 15-7. The Broncs fall to 33-20 to close out the season, while the Trojans improve to 33-30.
Troy struck first, getting a run in the second. Rider immediately responded in the top of the third.
Matt Leahy (Woolwich, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) hit a one-out single to left, followed by a walk by
Will Gallagher (Cranford, NJ/Cranford).
Erich Hartmann then delivered a single back up the middle to drive in a run, and a sacrifice fly off the bat of
Kyle Neri (Williamstown, NJ/St. Augustine Prep[Bryant]) gave the Broncs the lead.
Charley Magoulick (Arnold, MD/Dematha),
Nick Shuhet (Mountain Lakes, NJ/Mountain Lakes), and
Eliot Medlock (Merrimack, NH/Merrimack[Bryant]) hit back-to-back-to-back singles to start the fourth, scoring one to extend the Rider lead, but the Trojans got out of the jam without any further damage.
Troy responded with a run in the fifth, then Magoulick led off the sixth with a double, and Shuhet followed with an infield single. Magoulick would score on a ground out to push the lead to 4-2.
The Trojans made their move in the bottom of the sixth, scoring nine runs to take the lead, then adding on four in the eighth.
Hartmann hit a home run to right to lead off the ninth. Then Neri,
Anthony Paskell (Solon, OH/Saint Ignatius), and Magoulick hit singles to load the bases. Rider got a run on a sacrifice fly, then
AJ Labrusciano (Fredericksburg, VA/North Stafford) ripped an RBI single that produced the final score.
Quotes & Notes
"In the game, Kyle pitched well, kept us in the ball game, then in the sixth inning, it just seemed like we couldn't throw a strike. When things get rolling, its just hard to stop. But anyone in Florida or Troy, they can't say these guys are a pushover or a small school that shouldn't be here. We proved that we should be here. We made Troy use six pitchers, we got to Florida's bullpen. We are proud of the team and proud of the effort. The results just aren't what we want."
– Acting Head Coach Barry Davis
"It's a great feeling to be able to come to regionals. Our main goal at the beginning of the year is to win the MAAC Tournament, and doing that as a freshman was cool, but coming in with these guys and going out with a bang, making noise in the regional, it's awesome."
– Senior Outfielder Erich Hartmann
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Kyle Batt (Medford, NJ/Shawnee) got the start, going 4.2 innings, allowing two runs on six hits. He struck out one.
- The Broncs used five pitchers in the sixth inning.
- Eight Broncs saw action on the mound in the game.
- Magoulick extended his hitting streak to 22-straight games to end the year.
- Hartmann's home run is his seventh of the season and 11
th of his career.
Broncs By The Numbers
- Hartmann and Magoulick led Rider with three hits in the game.
- Shuhet, Leahy, and Labrusciano all had two hits on the day.
- Neri, Paskell, and Medlock also had a hit in the contest.
