FISHKILL, N.Y. - Rider University scored four runs in the
first and added a single run in the second frame as the third-seeded Broncs
defeated No. 1 seed Canisius College 10-5 Thursday night in the winner's
bracket game of the 2010 MAAC Baseball Championship at Dutchess Stadium in
Fishkill, N.Y. The win allows Rider (35-21) to advance to the championship
round of the MAAC Tournament, while the Golden Griffins (38-20) will meet No. 4
seed Manhattan at 3 p.m., Friday afternoon in an elimination game.
The Broncs came out of the gates swinging, scoring four runs
on five hits in the top of the first off Canisius starter Mike Goemans. Rider
started the game with back-to-back base hits and took a 1-0 lead when Brandon
Cotten scored on a wild pitch. Moments later, senior outfielder Nick Wojnowski
roped an RBI-single to right center that allowed second baseman A.J. Albee to
score from second. Rider shortstop John Ralston gave the Broncs a 4-0 lead when
he drove in two runs with a single through the left side of the infield. In the
second inning, junior Mason Heyne drove in Cotten from third base with a base
hit to left.
The game would remain 5-0 in favor of the Broncs until the
home half of the fifth when Canisius junior Brian Burton drilled a solo shot
over the fence in left to make it 5-1. Rider answered with two runs in the top
of the sixth when Albee drove in a run with a double to the gap in left center,
and he would score later in the frame on a wild pitch.
Canisius cut into Rider's 7-1 cushion in the sixth with
three runs. Senior Ian Choy got the scoring started with an RBI-single to right
that allowed junior Will Chomicki to score from second, and that hit was
followed by a fielder's choice RBI off the bat of Steve McQuail that allowed
junior Sean Jamieson to cross the plate from third base. After Burton put
runners at first and third with a base hit to right, senior Shayne Willson
knocked an RBI-base hit to center than drove in McQuail to make the score 7-4.
The Griffs plated a single run in the home half of the
seventh on an RBI-single by Jamieson to put the Blue and Gold within two at 7-5,
but Rider answered in the top half of the eighth when Albee hit a three-run
homer to left that drove in Cotton and Karl Johnston to end the scoring.
Rider freshman Mike Murphy earned the win on the hill for
the Broncs after he allowed five runs, two earned, on six hits while striking
out seven and walking two in seven innings of work. Goemans took the loss for
the Griffs after he gave up five runs on eight hits to go with four walks
through 4.1 innings of work before he was lifted for reliever Billy Martin.
Martin gave up five runs, three of which were earned, on three hits to go with
two strikeouts and three walks.
For Canisius, Burton ended the night by going 2-for-4 with a
homer, a run scored and a RBI, while Jamieson went 2-for-2 with a run batted in
and a run scored. Albee went 3-for-5 with a double, a homer, four RBIs and
three runs scored in the winning effort for Rider.
Canisius will meet Manhattan in an elimination game for the
third-straight year on Friday at 3 p.m. The winner of that game will need to
beat Rider two times to earn the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA
Division I Baseball Tournament. Manhattan scored three runs in the top of the ninth
to beat Marist 6-5 in the tournament's first elimination game on Thursday
afternoon.
GAME NOTES: Rider is now 2-1 all-time against Canisius in
the MAAC Tournament... Goemans made his fifth career MAAC Tournament start on
Thursday, which is a school record... Jamieson has now reached base safely in 34
of the Griffs' last 36 games, and his base hit in the first inning moved his
hitting streak to eight-straight games... Burton has six RBIs in his last six
MAAC Tournament games, dating back to last year... McQuail's RBI in the sixth inning was
the 80th this season.... Chomicki has scored a run in both of the
Griffs' postseason games this year... Martin made his first career MAAC Tournament appearance in the losing effort.
