POMONA, NY (May 24, 2025) – The 2025 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Baseball Championship resumed on Friday, May 23 (ended on Saturday, May 24) at Clover Stadium in Pomona, NY after a one-day hiatus due to weather. No. 1 Rider University, No. 2 Fairfield University, and No. 7 Marist University were victorious on Friday, while No. 5 Quinnipiac University dropped to the elimination bracket game. Rider and Fairfield will meet in the winner’s bracket and will play at 11:00 a.m. Saturday morning for a chance to punch the first spot in Sunday’s championship series. Quinnipiac and Marist will battle in an elimination game at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday.
No. 2 Fairfield, 13 | No. 3 Sacred Heart, 3
Clover Stadium | POMONA, NY
Box Score
No. 2 Fairfield earned a run-rule decision over No. 3 Sacred Heart, winning 13-3 in seven innings to start the day. Fairfield scored a trio of runs in the bottom of the second by virtue of two runs walked in with bases loaded and a passed ball. The Stags poured it on in the third, platting eight runs, extending their lead to 11-0 behind a pair of home runs. Nolan Colby started things off by clearing the right field wall for a three-run homer which made it a 6-0 advantage for the Stags. Fairfield added a couple more runs after TJ Schmalzle’s RBI single to center field. With two outs and two on, JP Kuczik sent a bomb over the left field wall, hitting Clover Stadium’s videoboard, for another three-run dinger to push Fairfield’s lead to 11-0 through three. After the Stags tacked on a run in the fourth making it 12-0, the Pioneers erased the shutout in the top portion of the fifth scoring three runs behind a pair of RBIs from Alex Ungar and Tim McGuire. Needing one run to end the game by mercy rule, Luke Nomura drove in the 13th and final run of the contest for Fairfield in the bottom of the sixth before a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the seventh ended the game.
Fairfield Notes and Notables
- Fairfield finished the day with 12 hits and 13 runs.
- All nine Stag starters scored at least one run in the blowout win, while seven of the nine recorded at least one hit.
- Spearheading the Stags was Nomura who was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate, with a pair of drawn walks.
- He also batted in two runs and scored one run.
- Kuczik (2-for-4) and Colby (1-for-3) led Fairfield in RBIs and home runs, each posting three RBIs and one homer, while the combination also scored two runs apiece.
- Leading the Stags in runs scored was Sean Meth (1-for-3) who safely made it home three times and was the only Stag to hit a double in the win.
- Schmalzle was the final Fairfield starter with a multi-RBI morning, batting in a pair of runs and scoring one run.
- Righty starting pitcher, Ben Alekson (9-1) struck out eight of the 27 batters he faced, allowing no walks, nine hits and giving up three runs in 6.0 innings on the mound.
- This marks the fifth straight season since 2018 that the Stags will be one of the four final teams in the championship field.
Sacred Heart Notes and Notables
- Sacred Heart had a pair of players with a multi-hit day.
- McGuire (2-for-4) and Ronan Donohue (2-for-3) each led the lineup with two hits, while McGuire drove in a run and Donohue scored a run.
- Ungar (1-for-4) had the team’s only extra base hit, recorded a double, with a run and RBI.
- Starter, Elijah Foster (5-3) was the losing pitcher after throwing 1.2 innings where he gave up three earned runs after walking five and giving up three hits.
No. 1 Rider, 8 | No. 5 Quinnipiac, 5
Clover Stadium | POMONA, NY
Box Score
No. 1 Rider used an early four run rally to edge No. 5 Quinnipiac, 8-5 in the second game of the day. Rider took a 4-0 lead through three innings, scoring a run in second and three in the third. The three runs in the third came by way of a three-run bomb by Nick Shuhet to center field. Over the next three innings, both teams added one run every inning, giving Rider a 7-3 edge. Quinnipiac’s runs were highlighted by back-to-back solo jacks from Christian Smith in the fourth and sixth innings. The score remained static after seven, but the Bobcats would once again get a run across when Johnny Knox connected on an RBI single through the left side, cutting the deficit to 7-4. The Broncs responded with a tally in the bottom half of the eighth, while the Bobcats also scored one run in the ninth, but Rider would hold off any rally attempt and secure the 8-5 win.
Rider Notes and Notables
- The trio of Shuhet, Erich Hartmann, and Will Gallagher combined to hit nine of Rider’s 12 hits.
- Shuhet was a triple short of the cycle, going 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, three RBIs, three runs, and was also hit by a pitch.
- Hartmann went 3-for-5, with a double, a run, and an RBI.
- Gallagher hit 3-for-4 and had an RBI and a walk.
- Matt Leahy (1-for-2) recorded an RBI, scored a run, and hit a double.
- Charley Magoulick finished with a pair of batted in runs.
- Joe Tiroly (1-for-4) safely made it home twice.
- Rider ace, Brian Young (9-0) kept his unbeaten record intact, tossing 7.1 innings, striking out four, giving up four hits, four runs, and walking four.
- Zach Silfies entered the game in relief and closed out the final 1.2 innings to receive the save, his ninth of the season.
- Rider is one of the last four teams in the field standing for the fourth time over the past five seasons dating back to 2021.
Quinnipiac Notes and Notables
- Quinnipiac out hit Rider, 13 to 12 despite the defeat.
- Eight of the nine starters reached base in the game, with seven registering at least one hit.
- Smith had the most productive day for the Bobcats, batting 2-for-3 with two home runs, two RBIs, two runs, and one walk.
- Kyle Garbowski led the team with three hits, going 3-for-5.
- Sean McCulloch (2-for-3) reached base four times, also drawing two walks and scoring a run
- Alex Irizarry was 2-for-5, with a double, a run, and an RBI.
- Sam Wright (3-2) got the starting nod and decision, putting in 4.2 innings of action in which he gave up six runs, with three Ks and eight hits.
- The Bobcats fall into the elimination bracket and will play in their second elimination game of the championship.
No. 7 Marist, 9 | No. 3 Sacred Heart, 7
Clover Stadium | POMONA, NY
Box Score
Meeting for the second time this postseason, No. 7 Marist avenged its loss from Wednesday, knocking off No. 3 Sacred Heart 9-7 in the elimination game. A three-run rocket over the center field wall by Zach Donahue in the bottom of the first inning put Marist ahead 3-0. Sacred Heart put together a three-hit bottom of the first and Gavin Donohue pushed one run across with his RBI single up the middle. The Red Foxes went up 4-1 in the top of the second following Noel Rivera’s RBI double. Sacred Heart got the equalizer during the bottom half of the third inning. With bases loaded, Joe Cilea hit a bases clearing double to center field, scoring three Pios’ runs that tied up the contest at 4-4. Both teams tacked on one run in the fourth and the elimination game remained deadlocked at 5-5 through six. In the bottom of the seventh, Sacred Heart took its first lead of the night, which started with Ron Donohue hitting an RBI single, scoring Zack Kovalchik, followed by a walked in run, giving Sacred Heart a 7-5 lead. Marist wasted no time responding, platting three runs in the top of the eighth, getting a go-ahead two run home run from Jason Claiborn which gave the Red Foxes an 8-7 advantage. Marist added an insurance run in the top of the ninth and retired three out of four hitters in the ninth to secure the win a keep its season alive.
Marist Notes and Notables
- The entire starting lineup for Marist recorded a hit, with a quintet posting a multi-hit game.
- Lewis Rodriguez led the team with four hits and three runs.
- Claiborn, Aydan McNelly, Chris Diaz, Nathan Lincoln, all recorded two hits.
- Claiborn had a home run, two RBIs, and two runs scored.
- Diaz scored a pair of runs.
- Donahue led the team with three RBIs along with his homer.
- Ethan Marzo (2-0) tossed the final 3.0 innings of the game for Marist and earned the decision.
- Marist remains alive in the championship and will play in its third elimination contest of the championship Saturday.
Sacred Heart Notes and Notables
- Cilea reached base a team-high four times, going 1-for-2 and drawing three walks.
- He was the team leader in RBIs with three and scored a run.
- Tim McGuire hit 3-for-5 and had a run.
- Alex Ungar scored a pair of runs and registered one RBI.
- Charlie Costello (1-1) pitched 1.0 innings in relief and received the decision.
For all information regarding the 2025 MAAC Baseball Championship, please visit
maacsports.com/baseball.
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 13 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 44th year of competition during the 2024-25 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius University, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan University, Marist University, Merrimack College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Sacred Heart University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.
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