LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. - Despite a five-hit game from sophomore center fielder Jake Berry (South Hamilton, Mass.), the Marist baseball team suffered a 9-6 loss to Rider in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) game on Friday at Sonny Pittaro Field.
Berry went 5-for-5 with three runs scored, two stolen bases and an RBI as he had four singles and ninth-inning triple. The Red Foxes had eight hits as a team. Junior shortstop Zach Shank (Lititz, Pa.) went 1-for-4 with a run scored and two RBIs.
Rider scored a run in its half of the first, but Marist tied the game in the third. Berry led off with a single and advanced to second on a fielding error, reached third on a sacrifice by Shank, and came home on an RBI groundout by junior first baseman Mike Orefice (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.). In the fourth, Marist took the lead by manufacturing a run without the benefit of a hit. Sophomore third baseman Nick McQuail (Wantagh, N.Y.) led off by reaching on an error, advanced to second on a hit-and-run groundout by freshman second baseman Alec Petrone (Mahopac, N.Y.), went to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a groundout by sophomore right fielder Pat Welsh (Millersville, Pa.).
Marist red-shirt senior lefty Chad Gallagher (Southboro, Mass.) retired 13 straight Rider hitters between the second and sixth, but in the sixth, Rider third baseman Adam Wayman hit a drive down the left-field line that was ruled to hook around the foul pole, which gave Rider a 3-2 lead.
Marist, however, then scored three in the seventh - all with two outs - to take a 5-3 lead. An RBI single by Berry brought home Welsh to tie the game. Berry then scored on a double Shank, who in turn came in on a single by senior left fielder Eric Helmrich (Yonkers, N.Y).
In the bottom of the seventh, Gallagher was relieved by sophomore right-hander Kevin McCarthy (Malverne, N.Y.) with one out and runners on second and third. McCarthy induced two infield groundouts to maintain the Red Foxes' two-run lead. However, in the eighth, Rider scored six runs as the first seven batters of the inning reached base, two on the benefit of Marist errors. The Broncs' big hits in the inning were a two-run double by pinch-hitter Ryan Murphy and a three-run homer by right fielder Jerry Mulderig in consecutive at-bats.
Rider starter Ryan Murphy (4-3) went the first eight innings to record the win. McCarthy (1-1) took the loss. Gallagher went 6.1 innings for the Red Foxes, and allowed six hits and three runs while striking out five.
Marist is now 13-20 overall and 5-7 in the MAAC; Rider is 12-24 overall and 7-6 in conference play.
Marist and Rider are scheduled to conclude their series with a doubleheader on Saturday. First pitch of game one is now scheduled for 11 a.m., as the threat of inclement weather has moved the start time up an hour from its originally-scheduled time of noon.
