Rider Baseball: Marist College 5, Rider University 1

   

LAWRENCEVILLE—The good news is that Rider won the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference series this weekend two games to one, just the second time in 11 seasons in the MAAC that Rider won the series (2006) with Marist. The bad news is that Rider lost to the Red Foxes on Sunday.

   

Before this year Rider was 9-19 against Marist in MAAC regular season games and 0-3 in MAAC tournament play.

   

"Going into the series, of course you'd be happy winning two games," said Rider head coach Barry Davis. "The disappointing part is that we had opportunities to win the game today and we didn't."

   

Rider managed just five hits in the 5-1 loss. "We played good defense and we got good starting pitching, but we didn't hit," Davis said. "Five hits and one run isn't enough to win."

   

Rider freshman Mike Thomas (Forest Hill, Md./Fallston) started and pitched seven innings, striking out seven. "Thomas was the only bright spot today,' Davis said.

   

Marist (6-12, 2-4 MAAC) took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on two walks and two hits. "Thomas battled through the first inning and basically shut them down the rest of the way," Davis said.

   

The Broncs (11-10, 3-3 MAAC) cut the lead to 2-1 in the third inning when junior James Hayes (Sunrise, Fla./Piper) singled, stole second and scored on an RBI double by junior Sean Olson (Vineland, N.J./St. Augustine Prep). Olson's blast hit just above the 375 sign and just below the top of the left-centerfield fence.

   

Hayes had two of Rider's five hits.

   

The Red Foxes scored three runs in the ninth inning off the Rider bullpen on a walk and three hits for the final score.

   

Rider hosts Seton Hall Tuesday at 3:30pm.

   

-RU-