Rider salvages third game against Siena

Rider baseball

By: Jim Green
   This wasn’t the first tough spot Rider University freshman left-hander Will O’Connor has been in this year, but it might have been the most critical.
   O’Connor has been thrown right into fire in his rookie year with the Rider baseball team, including a starting roll March 31 against a strong Rutgers squad. While the Broncs got hammered that day 11-2, it is often said that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and O’Connor certainly was strong Sunday at Siena.
   With the Broncs nursing a one-run lead in the bottom of the ninth, Rider coach Barry Davis brought O’Connor into the game and asked him to get out of a bases-loaded, nobody out jam. O’Connor responded with a strikeout and a pop out to end the game, as Rider pulled out a 9-8 win and avoided a three-game sweep at the hands of Siena. The Broncs improved to 7-17 overall and 4-5 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
   "He was brought in in a tough situation," Davis said. "He’s been in some tough games before. I felt fairly comfortable with him. My biggest concern is making sure they throw strikes, and he did that. A young guy like that is getting a lot of hands-on experience, and he may be put into some other tough situations with some conference games — maybe as a starter."
   O’Connor’s clutch performance salvaged the weekend for the Broncs, who were swept Saturday in both halves a doubleheader with Siena. Rider struggled both on the mound and at the plate, dropping the first game 8-0 and the second 5-1.
   "Any time you can get one as opposed to none, you’ll take it," Davis said. "We would have liked to play better the first two games. But I think Siena played better. They deserved to win the first two games. We didn’t do anything offensively the first two games."
   Rider led Sunday’s game 8-1 in the sixth inning before Siena came storming back to tie the game in the eighth. Rider responded in the top of the ninth, as freshman left fielder Jon Leise brought home the winning run with his second sacrifice fly of the game.
   The Broncs scored their first four runs on RBI singles by junior first baseman Gene Crimoli and junior center fielder Mike Poalise and Leise’s first sacrifice fly. They went up 8-1 in the top of the sixth, when they scored four runs on four hits, as junior right fielder Charles Van Schaick and junior shortstop Bryan Wagner doubled, and junior third baseman Tom Letizia and senior second baseman Jon Rehm singled in runs.
   Poalise was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI, Rehm had two hits, two runs and two RBIs, and Letizia and Wagner each had one hit, two runs and an RBI. Crimoli and Leise each knocked in two runs.
   "I was a little disappointed we couldn’t close it down, but we showed we could bounce back," Davis said. "We’re probably right where we should be. Marist and Siena are better than us right now. They’re not much better, but they are better."
   The Rider bats were shut down in the first two games of the series, managing just one total run on seven hits against Siena pitchers John Lannan and Joshua Burnett.
   "You have to give Siena some credit," Davis said. "We have swung the bat pretty decent. We could have pitched better, and some balls that were hit were caught, but we bounced back and put up some numbers."
   Letizia has been one constant for Rider this season, batting a team-best .354 with 14 RBIs and 18 runs scored to lead an offense that is beginning to grasp what its first year coach is asking of it.
   "Tom Letizia’s been our most consistent hitter," Davis said. "I think we’re doing a little better now. I think we’re bunting better. We’ve been executing and moving the runners, and we’ve been able to steal some bases."
   The Broncs next have a re-match with in-state rival Rutgers at 3 p.m. today (Thursday) at Sonny Pittaro Field. Sophomore righty Eric Holck has drawn the difficult assignment of starting on the mound against the Scarlet Knights.
   "For us, it’s exciting, because it’s one of those games on paper you shouldn’t win," Davis said. "It’s a game where we shouldn’t have any problem getting ready to play. We’ve already been up to Rutgers, and they put a whipping on us, pretty much. Hopefully, we can bounce back and be competitive."
   This weekend, the Broncs — who have played their last two MAAC series on the road — will be home to face Canisius, which is 5-16, but has won three of its last four. One question mark heading into the series is the status of ace senior right-hander Joe Moronese, who is suffering from tenderness in his throwing arm. If he is unable to go in the opener Saturday, O’Connor likely would take his place.
   "My feeling on three-game series is we have a game to win, they have a game to win, and there’s a game up in the air," Davis said. "I feel that’s how it’s been in every one of our series."