May 26, 2006 - #4 Niagara 9 #3 Rider 1
May 26, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
College Baseball - MAAC Tournament
#4 Niagara University 9, #3 Rider University 1
FISHKILL, NY—The Rider baseball season came to an end Friday with a loss to Niagara, the fourth seed, in the consolation game of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship Tournament, held at Dutchess County Stadium and hosted by Marist College. “We had a good year to make the tournament, we just didn’t have a good tournament,” said Rider head coach Barry Davis, the MAAC co-Coach of the Year.
The third seeded Broncs (25-31) were third in the MAAC in batting (.296) this season but only had five hits in the tournament, including just one on Friday. “That was surprising, getting just one run on five hits. You aren’t going to win too many games, let alone tournaments, with offensive numbers like that.”
Senior Scott Knazek (Browns Mills/Pemberton) collected Rider’s only hit Friday with one out in the seventh inning. Senior Tom Letizia (Fair Lawn) walked and scored an unearned run in the seventh for the Broncs, Rider’s only run of the tournament.
“You always want to play your best at this time of year, and we certainly did not do that,” said Davis. “We may have overachieved this year. We were picked sixth and finished third. We played well to get here, then we didn’t play well once we got here, or the last week of the season.”
The Purple Eagles (28-25) took a 7-0 lead in the third inning with five runs on five hits, the biggest hit a three run home run by Andrew MacNevin. “The five-run inning just killed us,” said Davis.
MacNevin’s RBI single in the eighth inning gave Niagara a 9-1 lead.
Niagara took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning on a pair of walks, a sacrifice bunt, and a two-run single by Chris Leendertse.
Rider junior pitcher Justin Roszkowski (Clark/Arthur L. Johnson) retired the first three batters of the game but walked the first two batters of the second inning before giving way to the bull pen due to a sore elbow.
Freshman Mike Petrowski (Hamilton Square/Steinert) pitched five and one-third innings of relief for Rider, allowing two runs on five hits, striking out two.
The game was in a rain delay from 12:14 pm to 3:40 pm in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Rider swept the three-game series with Niagara during the regular season, overtaking the Purple Eagles for first place April 24.
“You have to play big in the big games, and this weekend we didn’t,” said Davis. “But our goal was to get in the tournament and we did. Now our goal will be to get back here and win a game or two, and eventually win this tournament. This can be something to build on.”
-RU-
