Baseball Drops Two to Open Florida Trip

(Rider box) / (Bradley box)

3/14/05 -- Junior Trey Bell (Georgetown, Del.) drove in three runs for Long Island in a 6-4 loss to Rider before the team dropped a 16-3 decision to Bradley with both games taking place in Jacksonville, Fla.

Down 4-0 against Rider, LIU (2-3) scored twice in the fifth inning to halve the deficit. Senior Christopher Brescia (Nanuet, N.Y.) singled, freshman Bryan Burke (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) walked and both scored when Bell laced a two-run double.

The Broncs (1-6) added two more in the sixth for a 6-2 lead, courtesy of RBI singles from Bryan Wagner and Mike Poalise. The Blackbirds in the seventh again made it a two-run contest as Bell and sophomore Robert Rowen (Rosendale, N.Y.) each contributed run-scoring singles.

LIU loaded the bases in the ninth as Brescia and Burke walked, and Rowen reached on a two-out error by third baseman Jon Rehm. But sophomore pinch hitter Marcus Wynn (Plainfield, N.J.) grounded out to end it.

Sophomore Michael Maynard (Staten Island, N.Y.) permitted four runs and three hits over three innings with one strikeout for LIU. In addition to Bell, junior Tim Doherty (Newark, Del.) also closed with two hits.

LIU was down 10-0 after three innings to Bradley before plating all three of its runs in the fourth. Rowen scored on a throwing error by center fielder Johnny Sage with senior Thomas Bennett (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and freshman Danny Etkin (Brooklyn, N.Y.) adding RBI singles.

Sophomore Ryan Ekberg (Carmel, N.Y.) allowed 11 runs -- 10 earned -- and 12 hits over 3 1/3 innings. Sophomore Richard Moran (Carmel, N.Y.) pitched solidly in relief, giving up just one run and five hits over 2 2/3 innings.

LIU will face Bradley again on Thursday, beginning at 12:00 pm in Jacksonville.