HAMDEN, CT – After falling in the opener of Friday's doubleheader, the Rider baseball team bounced back behind a career day from
Clayton Poliey to earn a split and secure the series finale with a 5-2 victory over Quinnipiac. Poliey tossed the first complete game of his four-year career as the Broncs improved to 27-17 overall and 19-8 in MAAC play, while the Bobcats dropped to 23-25 (14-13 MAAC).
Game One
Rider struck first in the top of the third inning.
Matt Leahy worked a leadoff walk before
Erich Hartmann singled to right with one out to put runners on the corners.
Anthony Paskell was then hit by a pitch to load the bases, and
Charley Magoulick continued his hot stretch at the plate with a two-run single to left to give the Broncs an early 2-0 lead.
Quinnipiac answered immediately in the bottom half of the inning with a two-run homer to tie the game before adding two more runs later in the frame to move ahead 4-2.
Eliot Medlock responded by launching the first pitch of the fourth inning over the left-field wall to cut the deficit to one. Later in the inning, Hartmann brought home the tying run with a sacrifice fly to even the score at 4-4.
The Bobcats regained the lead with a run in the fourth before adding two runs in both the sixth and seventh innings to pull away for the 9-4 victory and force a split scenario in the series finale.
Game Two
The Broncs once again opened the scoring early in the finale.
Paskell led off the second with a single before Shuhet added a one-out hit to center to put two runners aboard. Medlock then ripped a double down the left-field line to plate both runners and give Rider a 2-0 advantage.
Rider added another run in the third inning.
Will Gallagher opened the frame with a base hit to right before Hartmann moved him into scoring position with a groundout.
Kyle Neri followed with an RBI single to stretch the lead to 3-0.
From there, Poliey started to settle into a dominant rhythm on the mound, retiring six straight batters through the third and fourth innings. Quinnipiac pushed across its first run in the fifth, but Poliey did not allow another Bobcat to reach base until the ninth inning.
The Broncs added insurance runs at the top of the ninth. Hartmann singled to lead off the inning before Neri lined a double down the left-field line to put two runners in scoring position. One batter later, Magoulick delivered again with a two-run double to center, extending Rider's lead to 5-1.
Poliey carried the complete game into the ninth and allowed just one more run before closing out the 5-2 victory to secure the series win for the Broncs.
Quotes and Notes
"Poliey was tremendous on the mound today and gave us an outstanding effort. Offensively, Eliot and Charley both came through with big two-run doubles, and we had quality at-bats throughout the lineup. Overall, it was a complete team win and an important one for us."
- Acting Head Coach Dr. Barry Davis
- Batt took the loss in game one, falling to 4-5 on the season.
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Peter Crespo recorded his seventh double of the year, while
Charley Magoulick added his eighth.
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Eliot Medlock launched his seventh home run of the season and also collected his team-leading 14th double of the year.
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Clayton Poliey earned the game two victory to improve to 3-1 on the season after tossing a complete game, allowing four hits and just one earned run across nine innings.
- With the win, Rider secured its eighth MAAC series victory in nine conference weekends this season.
- The Broncs totaled 13 hits in the finale and improved to 24-6 this season when recording 10 or more hits.
- Magoulick extended his hitting streak to 13 games while Crespo moved his on-base streak to 13 games.
Broncs by the Numbers
Game One
- Rider totaled nine hits in the loss.
- Medlock and Crespo paced the offense with two hits apiece.
- Hartmann, Neri, Paskell, Magoulick, and Leahy each added a hit.
- Magoulick drove in two runs, while Hartmann and Medlock each recorded an RBI.
- Batt suffered the loss after pitching 3.0 innings, allowing six hits, three earned runs, and striking out one.
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Dylan Kane,
Frank Papeo, and
Chris Montone all appeared in relief.
Game Two
- Rider recorded 13 hits in the victory.
- Neri, Paskell, Magoulick, Shuhet, and Crespo each posted two-hit performances.
- Medlock, Hartmann, and Gallagher all added a hit.
- Magoulick drove in two runs, while Neri, Medlock, and Crespo each tallied an RBI.
Up Next
The Broncs return to action on May 14 to close out the regular season at home against St. Peter's at Sonny Pittaro Field.
First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.
