April 3, 2005

Box Score

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y.-Rider's Jeff Moronese went the distance, allowing just six hits and two earned runs to lift visiting Rider over Marist by a score of 8-2 Sunday afternoon at cold, rain-soaked McCann Baseball Field. The game, which was pushed back due to inclement weather, was called after eight innings for darkness.

Rider moved to 5-13 overall (3-1 MAAC) with the win, while Marist fell to 5-12 overall (3-1 MAAC).

Rider second baseman Jeff Reynolds collected three hits and two runs, while third baseman John Rehm chipped in three RBI. Shortstop Bryan Wagner also scored a pair of runs for the visitors. Marist was led by left fielder Thomas Ciccarone who had two hits.

Moronese moved to 3-1 himself with the win, striking out five and walking four, while Marist's Scott Chambers (0-4) took the loss, yielding four runs on just two hits. The Albany, N.Y. native struggled with his control, however, and finished his outing of 3.1 innings with five walks and two hit batters. Tom Close, Bobby Hastry and Kevin Shurtleff came on in relief and allowed three earned runs over the final 4.2 frames.

The Broncs got on the board early with a run off Chambers in the top of the first. Rider leadoff batter Mike Poalise, the center fielder, reached on a walk and moved to second when Chambers plunked Broncs' right fielder Tom Letizia. After catcher Scott Knazek moved both runners over on a sacrifice, Poalise scored on Rehm's RBI groundout to third.

The Red Foxes fought back in the bottom of the second with a run of their own. After second baseman Joe Sargent reached on a walk off Moronese, Ciccarone took first after being hit by an offering from the Bronc hurler. One batter later, center fielder Kevin Grauer walked to load the bases for shortstop Andy Kiriakedes. The Great Barrington, Mass. native then lifted a long fly ball to center field to score Sargent on a sacrifice fly.

The game would only be knotted for a half inning, however, as Rider plated a pair of runs in the top of the third. After Knazek reached on Chambers' third walk of the game and went to second on a passed ball, Rehm knocked him in with a single to left-center field. First baseman Gene Crimoli then walked and designated hitter Jordan McCreedy reached on a fielder's choice to set the stage for Reynolds' run scoring single to left to make the score 3-1 Rider.

The Broncs would extend the lead to 5-1 with runs in the fourth and fifth innings. In the fourth, Wagner converted a leadoff walk to another tally when Rehm brought him home on sacrifice fly to right field. Rider took advantage of another sacrifice fly in the top of the fifth when Wagner drove home Reynolds on a flyout to center field.

After a rain delay of just under an hour, the Red Foxes trimmed the deficit to three runs in their half of the sixth when they used a leadoff walk by first baseman Kevin Buck, which yielded an RBI single by designated hitter Justin Lepore.

Rider blew the game open in the next inning, however, scoring three runs on four hits. The Broncs' McCreedy led off the inning with a double, while Reynolds followed with an RBI single. One batter later, Wagner also singled and trotted home on an RBI-single by Poalise. Letizia scored the final run of the inning on a passed ball by Marist catcher Bryan Towler.

The Broncs and the Red Foxes will complete the series with a doubleheader, beginning at 11 a.m. on Monday at the McCann Baseball Field.