LOUDONVILLE, NY – Siena Baseball received 14.2 innings of solid starting pitching against perennial MAAC power Rider to secure a split of the conference home-opening doubleheader at Connors Park. The Saints earned their first MAAC win of the spring 3-1 in the opener, while the Broncs prevailed 7-2 in the nightcap.
Game One: Siena 3, Rider 1
Staff ace
Arlo Marynczak spun eight strong innings to pitch Siena (5-26, 1-4) to its first conference victory of the season. Marynczak scattered just five hits and one run while walking only one and striking out seven to lead the Saints to their 11
th win in their last 12 games against Rider (21-9, 6-2).
Siena was propelled by its starting battery, as catcher
Willie Schwarick opened the scoring with a solo home run in the second, and also threw out a pair of would-be base stealers defensively. The Saints added a run on an RBI single by
Danny Barbero in the third, and tacked on an insurance run on a wild pitch in the seventh.
Siena registered 10 hits, with all nine batters reaching base safely including eight via hits.
Vincent DiNicola and
Matt Livingston led the way, producing a pair of two-hit efforts.
Noah Rodriguez closed things out with a scoreless ninth inning with a pair of strikeouts to register his third save.
Game Two: Rider 7, Siena 2
Rider struck for four runs in the first and tacked on three insurance runs in the eighth to secure the split.
The Broncs tallied three hits, two walks, and were the beneficiaries of a costly error in the first.
Siena starter
Billy Rozakis settled in thereafter to retire 11 straight, and finished with 6.2 solid innings allowing five hits and four runs (two earned) with four walks and four strikeouts.
The Saints registered 10 hits for the second straight game, but were unable to make the most of them as they stranded 12 baserunners.
Vincenzo Castronovo tallied three hits and scored twice, while DiNicola and
Aiden Stewart added a pair of his apiece.
Siena scored on a squeeze by
Randall Hien in the second and an RBI double by
Louis Percival in the eighth.
Frank Doelling went seven innings to improve to 5-1 on the hill for Rider, while Danny Kirwan struck out all five batters he faced to earn his league-leading seventh save.
The decisive rubber game of the series is set for Saturday at noon on ESPN+.