College Baseball: Broncs Slit MACC Doubleheader at Marist
Saturday, April 18, 2015
Rider University 7, Marist College 4
Marist College 6, Rider University 5
POUGHKEEPSIE, NY—The Broncs split a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference doubleheader at Marist Saturday. “We didn’t play a complete two games,” said Rider head coach Barry Davis. “The first game we did a good job. We want to sweep the series every weekend but it is hard to do.”
Rider’s All-MAAC first baseman, senior Justin Thomas (Richboro, PA/Council Rock South), had five hits, including two doubles, and two RBI in the twin bill.
Senior Mike Parsons (Liverpool, NY) had four hits, including two doubles and two RBI on the day.
“Thomas and Parsons had big days today,” Davis said.
In the first game Rider senior Zach Mawson (Magnolia, DE/Caesar Rodney) pitched six innings, allowing three earned runs while striking out four, improving to 3-2 on the season.
Sophomore Josh Sharik (Ewing, NJ/Plumstead Christian) pitched two scoreless innings of relief, striking out one.
Senior Eric Thomas (Dallastown, PA/Dallastown Area) faced three batters in the ninth for the save, his seventh.
“Mawson pitched well again, Josh was really good in the seventh and eighth and Eric closed another one,” Davis said. “That formula seems to be working for us.”
The Broncs scored five runs in the seventh inning on two walks, a hit batsman, a wild pitch and two hits, including a two-run double by senior Nick Richter (Fox River Grove, Ill./Cary-Grove), to take a 7-4 lead.
Richter had two hits and a stolen base in game one.
Marist took a 3-2 lead in the fifth inning on a single, sacrifice bunt, wild pitch and a sacrifice fly and made it 4-2 in the sixth, scoring an unearned run.
The Broncs tied the score at 2-2 in the fifth inning on four consecutive singles, including RBI singles by Parsons and senior Eric Strano (Robbinsville). Strano had two hits and two RBI on the day. “We were able to string some hits together in the first game,” Davis said.
Marist took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning on a single, a triple and a sacrifice fly.
In the second game Marist (10-18-1, 5-6 MAAC) broke a 5-5 tie in the bottom of the seventh inning with a triple and a single.
Marist hit a three-run home run with two outs in the fifth inning to take a 5-4 lead, before Rider was able to tie it in the top of the seventh. “We scrapped all day,” Davis said.
Parsons hit an RBI double to give Rider (15-16, 6-2 MAAC) a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Parsons doubled again in the fourth and scored on a double play after an RBI single by Strano for a 4-0 Rider lead.
Marist cut the lead to 4-2 in the fourth inning with two runs on a triple, a double and a single. “We had a 4-0 lead,” Davis said, “but you have to give Marist credit for coming back the way they did. They aren’t going to lay down for us.”
Thomas hit an RBI single in the third inning to give Rider a 2-0 lead.
The Broncs took two of three games from Marist last year at Rider.
Marist is Rider’s oldest conference foe, dating back to 1993 in the NEC. Rider won NEC Titles in 1994, ’95 and ’96, and Marist won the NEC in ’97. In the MAAC, Marist beat Rider in the 2001 and 2002 Title Games.
The two teams have now met 75 times, with Rider winning 35.
The third game of the series is Sunday at 12 noon. “We just have to bounce back tomorrow,” Davis said. “We win tomorrow we win the series, which is our goal every weekend.”