April 3, 2004

Box Score

Poughkeepsie, NY -- The Marist College baseball team split a double-header with Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) foe Rider University, this afternoon in Lawrenceville, NJ. The Red Foxes captured the first game 4-2, before falling 7-4 in the nightcap. Marist is no 7-16 overall and 3-2 in MAAC play, while Rider drops to 7-13 overall and are now 2-3 in MAAC action.

George Heath earned the win for the Red Foxes in the first game, striking out four in 7.0 innings of work. He allowed two runs, only one earned, on four hits and walked just one during his work. Rob Ryan picked up another save for Marist, allowing two hits over his two innings of relief work.

The Broncs took a 2-0 lead, scoring a run in the fifth and one in the sixth-inning of play. Justin Lepore led off the top of the eighth inning with a double to right field, which was followed by a pinch-hit single by Chris Watters. Travis Musolf followed with an RBI single to score LePore and Keith Brachold singled in the next at bat to score Watters and tie the game 2-2. After a strikeout of Bryan Towler, Marist took the lead on a double steal, with Musolf swiping home and Brachold taking second base. Brachold would advance to third on a wild pitch and score on a Kevin Buck sacrifice fly to give Marist the 4-2 lead.

Rider attempted to rally, leading off the seventh with a double off of Heath, but Ryan entered and induced a groundout, a pop-up, and a ground out to end the threat. Two Broncs singled with two out in the ninth, but Ryan got out of the jam to earn the win.

Rider started the second game with a pair of runs in the first-inning, but the Red Foxes answered quickly, tying the game 2-2 in the second and taking a 3-2 lead in the third. The Broncs scored two in the bottom of the fifth and Marist tallied a run in the sixth to tie the score 4-4, but Rider would plate three runs in the sixth to earn the win.

Scott Chambers took the loss, allowing five earned runs in 5.2 innings of work, striking out two and giving up seven hits. Kevin Shurtleff tossed 0.1 innings of work, allowing a run on two hits in relief.

Kevin Buck was an offensive star in the second game, going 4-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Eric Johnson was 2-2 with two RBI and a run, while LePore scored a run and Musolf had an RBI in the game.

The two teams will close out the series on Sunday, with a nine-inning game, scheduled to begin at noon.