Rider baseball
By: Jim Green
The Rider University baseball team finished its first home season at Sonny Pittaro Field in prime fashion on May 12.
The Broncs pounded LaSalle 22-6 in their final home game of the year. Junior Mike Poalise knocked in four runs, and senior Jon Rehm was 4-for-5 with two doubles, three runs scored and two RBIs in the last home game of his career.
"We played well," Rider coach Barry Davis said. "We swung the bats, and we continued swinging the bats into the weekend."
Sophomore Erik Holck picked up his second win, allowing six runs on 10 hits over seven innings. After being held scoreless in the first two innings, the Broncs scored three in the third, five in the fourth and seven in the fifth to take a commanding 15-1 lead.
Junior Bryan Wagner was 2-for-5 with five runs and two RBIs from the leadoff spot, and junior Tom Letizia was 3-for-6 with four runs and an RBI. Poalise singled home two runs to get things started in the third. Letizia and freshman Jon Leise later had RBI singles, and Rehm smacked a run-scoring double. Freshman righty Doug Bradley relieved Holck in the eighth and tossed two hitless innings.
It was the second straight win over a Philadelphia school for Rider, which knocked off St. Joseph’s 14-10 the day before. The Broncs led 14-3 before the Hawks made things interesting with seven unanswered runs.
"I think we’re starting to play a little bit better," Davis said. "Our players are competing with teams they would have lost to at the beginning of the year."
Junior Gene Crimoli had four hits, three RBIs and three runs, Poalise was 2-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs, Wagner was 2-for-5 with a run scored and two RBIs, Letizia had three hits, a run scored and an RBI, and Rehm was 2-for-6 with a run and two RBIs. Sophomore Brad States had two hits, a run and three RBIs, and sophomore Scott Knazek and junior Justin Squashic each had a hit and two runs scored. Senior Evan Garcia had five strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings, picking up the win in relief of sophomore starter Justin Roszkowski, who gave up two earned runs in 4 1/3 innings.
After a scoreless first, the Broncs exploded for nine runs in the second. The big blows were a three-run triple by Poalise, a two-run double by States and a two-run single by Rehm. Crimoli had a two-run triple in the seventh, and Wagner had a two-run single in the ninth as Rider pulled away.
The Broncs’ three-game winning streak came to an end Sunday, as they lost both ends of a doubleheader with Niagara. They lost the first game 18-12 despite pounding out 18 hits and dropped the second 7-4 after holding a four-run, first-inning lead.
The doubleheader sweep dropped the Broncs to 10-13 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and eliminated them from playoff contention.
"You can kind of see, after playing every team, if we would have had a little more luck every series you can go back and point to situations," Davis said. "We feel like we’re better than a few teams we let slip away."
But the Broncs quickly bounced back, overcoming a four-run deficit to take the third and final game of the series 8-6 Monday. Poalise had three hits and two RBIs, Crimoli had two hits and two RBIs, and Knazek had three hits and two runs scored, as Rider improved to 17-29 overall. Freshman lefty Derek Caldwell pitched eight solid innings allowing five runs on six hits for the win, and sophomore Mike Dyszel hurled a perfect ninth for the save.
"He (Caldwell) settled down after the first inning and shut them down," Davis said. "He made them put the ball in play. We caught it and played a pretty solid game."
Trailing 4-0 in the top of the fourth, Rider got on the board with a three-run rally. With one out, Rehm walked, Knazek singled, and Poalise reached on an error, bringing home the first run. After a wild pitch put runners at second and third, Crimoli singled home two more runs.
The Broncs, who were scheduled to face Delaware on Wednesday, will finish the season this weekend with a MAAC series at St. Peter’s. The two teams will play a doubleheader at noon Saturday and a single game at noon Sunday.
After his team came back to win the third game against Niagara, Davis gained confidence that his team would battle to the end, despite being eliminated from the playoffs. If the Broncs sweep St. Peter’s, they could finish with a winning MAAC record of 14-13.
"I’ve told them anyone can quit right now," Davis said. "But if you have character and you’re really a ballplayer, and you want to win, you won’t quit. We’re still trying to build. We’re still working on things we need to work on. We’re not coasting this out."
NOTE: On Wednesday, Rider announced that Knazek and Rehm were named to the New Jersey College Baseball Association All-State second team.

