Baseball Beaten by Broncs, 9-5

(Box Score)

5/15/07 -- A five-run fifth inning was too much for the Blackbirds to overcome as the Long Island University baseball team fell to Rider, 9-5, in non-conference action at KeySpan Park. Long Island dropped to 12-35 on the season, the Broncs improved to 20-26.

Long Island got on the board with a run in the bottom of the third. Centerfielder Johnnie Neckar (Fort Myers, Fla.) reached on a fielding error by the shortstop and moved to second when second baseman Trey Bell (Georgetown, Del.) drew a walk. Both runners advanced when third baseman Dan Pirillo (Marlboro, N.Y.) was hit by a pitch. Rightfielder Robby Rowen (Rosendale, N.Y.) chopped a grounder to third that could have been an inning-ending double play, but Rowen beat out the throw allowing Neckar to score.

Rider took the lead in the fifth inning when David Hayes hit a one-out, bases-loaded single to plate a pair of runs. The Broncs added two more on a two-out single by first baseman Matt McCollum, taking a 4-1 lead and knocking Long Island starter Jesse Johnson (Dingmans Ferry, Pa.) out of the game. In 4 2/3 innings, the lefthander allowed five runs (four earned) on four hits and five walks, while striking out one. Freshman Paul Lopez (New York, N.Y.) came on in relief and walked in a runner to give Rider a 5-1 lead.

Lopez allowed another run on a passed ball after loading the bases with a pair of singles and a walk. After walking the next batter, Lopez was lifted in favor of sophomore Andy Yawger (Morristown, N.J.), who worked out of a bases-loaded jam, but allowed a run in the process. McCollum hit a dribbler toward third with one out, but Gerard Tingos (Staten Island, N.Y.) did not field it cleanly, allowing a run to score and extend the Broncs’ lead to 7-1.

The Blackbirds battled back in the bottom of the sixth when first baseman James Jones (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and shortstop Greg DeSantis (Bridgewater, N.J.) hit two-out singles. In his first plate appearance since coming on in center field in the top of the inning, Marcus Wynn (Plainfield, N.J.) laced a double down the left-field line to score Jones. Catcher Chris Kievit (Wayne, N.J.) followed with a two-run single up the middle to chase Rider starter Dan Sasso and make the score 7-4.

The Broncs came right back in the top of the seventh when catcher Sean Olson hit a two-run double to extend the Rider lead to 9-4. In the bottom of the frame, Orlando Cruz (White Plains, N.Y.) and Anthony Amatucci (Toms River, N.J.) hit back-to-back two-out doubles to plate a run for the Blackbirds.

The Blackbirds will wrap up their season with a four-game series at LIU Field, hosting Central Connecticut State. The first game will be Friday, May 18 at 3:30 p.m.