May 15, 2007 - Rider 9 Long Island 5
May 15, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
College Baseball
Rider University 9, Long Island University 5
BROOKLYN, N.Y.-- Good things happen to those who wait. Rider sophomore Dan Sasso has pitched well for almost two years for the Broncs before collecting his first collegiate win Tuesday, as the Broncs played the final non-conference game of the regular season at Key Span Park, defeating Long Island University.
Sasso (Bordentown) pitched five and two-thirds innings, striking out four while allowing three earned runs.
In his final start in 2006, Sasso allowed just one run in five innings of work, striking out three but did not get the decision as the Broncs went on to defeat Saint Joseph’s 4-3. This year Sasso pitched seven and two-thirds shutout innings at Seton Hall before the Broncs lost 2-1. He pitched five and one-third innings but received no decision in a 6-5 win over LIU on April 25. He pitched five and one-third innings but received no decision in an 8-7 win at Princeton, and he pitched five innings without a decision in a win over Temple last week.
“In a lot of the games I pitched, we ended up winning, and that’s the important thing,” said Sasso, “so that helps a lot, but getting my first win is a big relief. It is like a huge weight off of my back. It took a while.”
“He finally got a win,” said Rider head coach Barry Davis. “He threw good today. In most of his outings he has kept us in the ball game but for whatever reason we haven’t been able to hang on to the lead or score enough runs for him. He’s pitched well enough to win, and eventually if you keep pitching well you’re going to win some games.”
“I figured, or at least I hoped, that it would eventually come,” Sasso said. “A lot of the games I started we ended up winning, so even if I didn’t get the win, it didn’t matter as long as the team got the win. That’s all that really matters. I felt good today, threw strikes and relied on my defense. We got a lot of offensive help today.”
Trailing 1-0, Rider (20-26) scored five runs in the fifth inning on three hits, as junior David Hayes (Sunrise, Fla) and red-shirt freshman Matt McCollum (Tabernacle/Shawnee) both hit two-run singles. “Matt’s was a two-out hit,” Davis said, “which was a big hit.”
Sophomore Adam Tussey (Brooklawn/Gloucester) had three of Rider’s nine hits, and sophomore Jamie Hayes (Sunrise, Fla./Piper) had two hits for the Broncs. “Tussey moved the ball a little bit,” Davis said. “We put Adam and Jamie back at the top of the order again and we’re going to run with that. That’s what we started the year with and that’s what we’re going to finish the year with. Let those two guys set the table for us.”
Jamie Hayes returned to the leadoff spot with Tussey batting second, and the duo scored four of Rider’s nine runs.
Sophomore Sean Olson (Vineland/St. Augustine Prep), the Bronc leader in hits, extra base hits and RBI, hit a two-run double to give Rider a 9-4 lead in the seventh inning.
The victory gave Rider 20 wins, the 15th consecutive 20-win season and 24th in the last 25 years for the Broncs. “I think the mark for us, in the future, is 30,” Davis said. “We’re 20-26. Flip those six games around, which is just two weekends, and that’s where we want to be, where we should be. 26-20 is where we should be, and then 30 is in reach.”
Rider hosts Fairfield in a three game series beginning with a 12 noon doubleheader on Thursday. “This is a big series for us,” Davis said. “We certainly have a lot to play for, and that’s why we’re here.”
With LeMoyne (19-3) and Manhattan (19-4) already qualifying for the four-team MAAC Championship tournament, Rider (11-12) is battling with Marist (12-11), Saint Peter’s (12-11), Canisius (10-12) and Siena (9-11) for the final two spots. “There are a lot of big series in the conference this weekend,” Davis said, “and we’re certainly in one of them. I think every series this weekend has some meaning to it, with playoff implications. A big weekend for everybody. It’s kind of exciting.”
The MAAC tournament is May 24-26, hosted by Marist at Dutchess Stadium in Fishkill, New York.
