Rider baseball
By: Jim Green
Scott Knazek and the Rider University baseball team had about as exciting a three-game stretch as you can have last week.
With Knazek providing two walk-off game-winning hits earning him Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Player of the Week honors the Broncs defeated in-state rival Rutgers and took the first two of a three-game set with Canisius, evening their MAAC record at 6-6.
"We’re making strides," Rider coach Barry Davis said. "We’re better. That (the Rutgers game) was good. Any time you have a chance to win those games, it’s a positive."
Against Rutgers on April 14, Knazek, a sophomore catcher, singled home the game-winning run with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning, as Rider came away with a 7-6 win at Sonny Pittaro Field. Knazek finished with four hits and five RBIs as the Broncs beat the Scarlet Knights for the first time since April 10, 2002.
Knazek had a two-run single in the fourth inning that gave the Broncs a temporary 5-4 lead. Rutgers tied the score at 6-6 in the seventh inning on a balk by freshman reliever Derek Caldwell. Junior Bryan Wagner led off the ninth with his second single of the game and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by junior Mike Poalise before scoring the game winner on Knazek’s hit. Wagner was 2-for-5 with two runs scored, and Poalise was 1-for-4 with two runs.
Sophomore Steve Sciaraffo struck out three in two innings of relief, and sophomore Justin Roszkowski pitched a one-two-three 10th inning for the victory.
On Saturday, Knazek was at it again, singling home the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning of the second game, as Rider completed a doubleheader sweep of Canisius at Pittaro Field by coming back from a nine-run deficit to win 10-9.
"He played well," Davis said of Knazek. "He continues to swing the bat, and he continues to give us everything we need."
In the first game, freshman lefty Will O’Connor was brilliant, striking out 11 and allowing only two runs on four hits over a full nine innings. Knazek, junior Tom Letizia and senior Jon Rehm each went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
Rehm singled home Poalise for a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. That lead expanded to 4-0 in the third, as Knazek doubled home a run, and sophomore Jordan McCreedy singled home two. In the fourth, Letizia singled in the Broncs’ fifth run, and O’Connor took care of the rest.
O’Connor’s effort was needed, as it came in place of injured ace Joe Moronese, who missed the game with soreness in his throwing arm. Even with Moronese returning for this weekend’s series against Manhattan, O’Connor will remain in the rotation.
"We were hoping he would step up," Davis said. "The question was, could he go nine innings. Doing that was a surprise, I guess. He was able to throw his pitches for strikes, and we played well on defense. We missed some opportunities to score. We never really get ourselves separated from anybody."
In the second game, Canisius scored nine times in the top of the fifth to open up a 9-0 lead. But Rider chipped away over the final three innings, eventually pulling out the dramatic win.
"Considering it was a conference game, it was huge," Davis said. "The fact that we played well late in the game showed we can come back and compete."
In the bottom of the fifth, junior Charles Van Schaick doubled in a run, and Poalise knocked in a run with a fielder’s choice.
The Broncs added five more in the sixth, cutting the deficit to two. Rehm led off the inning by reaching second on an error. Junior Gene Crimoli followed with a single, and McCreedy walked to load the bases. Two batters later, Van Schaick hit a sac fly to right, scoring Rehm. Wagner then tripled home two tuns, and Poalise and Letizia each walked, loading the bases again. Knazek then stepped to the plate and singled home two runs.
After Roszkowski held Canisius in check in the top of the seventh, McCreedy walked to lead off the bottom of the frame. Freshman Jon Leise singled, and Wagner walked, loading the bases with one out. Poalise singled home a run, cutting the Canisius lead to one and setting the table for Knazek, who played the hero again, singling home the winning run for his second game-winning RBI in three games.
"He (Knazek) has been in some situations that are tight," Davis said. "He’s been in the right mental frame of mind to succeed."
Knazek’s heroics resulted in the Monday announcement that he had been named MAAC Player of the Week.
"That’s a great honor," Davis said. "He’s deserving."
Knazek continued his hot hitting in the third game Sunday, going 3-for-5 with a run scored and two RBIs, and freshman Derek Caldwell pitched six solid innings, but Canisius scored four runs in the last three innings to come back from a 4-3 deficit to win 7-4.
"We took two out of three, which most days is good," Davis said. "We had a chance to win all three, but at the same time, Canisius had a nine-run lead (on Saturday), and they blew it. Technically, you could say we’re lucky to get two out of three."
The Broncs had another solid showing against a big team on Tuesday, battling back from a 10-4 deficit before losing to Villanova (22-10-1) 13-10 at Villanova Ballpark. Crimoli went 3-for-4 with two runs scored, and Wagner was 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI, as both players collected their 100th career hit. Letizia knocked in three runs, but the Broncs (10-19) were undone by four errors and their inability to get the big hit. Rider had three chances with the bases loaded and less than two outs, but picked up only two total runs in those situations.
"We can see we’ve made some gains," Davis said. "Our record is not reflective of the type of team we can be. However, we’re still one of those teams where, if we don’t come to play, we’re probably going to come out on the losing end. If we pitch and play well on defense, we’ll probably be able to compete. Yesterday (Tuesday), we just did things teams can’t do against good teams. We’re not going to win those games."
The Broncs were scheduled to play at Seton Hall on Wednesday. They next will face Manhattan (5-3 in the MAAC) in a key conference series, with a doubleheader Saturday and a single game Sunday.
"This is a swing series for us," Davis said. "This series could be big. They’re vulnerable. I’m sure it’ll be a very intense weekend. Whoever comes out with two out of three or better will put themselves in a good situation for the playoffs."