Baseball

Fairfield and Rider to Meet in 2025 MAAC Baseball Championship Series

POMONA, NY (May 25, 2025) – No. 1 Rider University and No. 2 Fairfield University will meet in the 2025 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Baseball Championship Series on Sunday, May 25 at Clover Stadium in Pomona, NY. The Stags and the Broncs secured their spots in the championship series with Fairfield defeating Rider in the winner’s bracket finale, before Rider played its way out of the elimination bracket with a win over No. 5 Quinnipiac University to punch its ticket in the championship series.
 
No. 2 Fairfield, 11 | No. 1 Rider, 1
Clover Stadium | POMONA, NY
Box Score
 
No. 2 Fairfield picked up its second straight run-rule decision, defeating No. 1 Rider, 11-1 in the winner’s bracket final to begin the day. Rider scored first – its only run of the game – behind MAAC Player of the Year, Joe Tiroly’s solo home run to right field, giving the Broncs a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third. In the Fairfield half of the fourth inning, Sean Meth singled to second base, bringing home Matthew Bucciero from third, evening up the meeting at 1-1. The Stags took full control of the matchup with a three inning rally from the sixth through eighth, plating 10 combined runs across the trio of innings while holding the Broncs to no runs. Fairfield took a commanding 6-1 lead by virtue of a grand slam by Dean Ferrara to the right field Short Porch, to cap off a five-run sixth inning. In the seventh, Farfield put a couple more runs on the board, this time highlighted by a JP Kuczik solo bomb over the Short Porch wall. Fairfield starting pitcher Bowen Baker retired 11 straight batters from the fourth through seventh, with three strikeouts in the mix. Bucciero was the next Stag to visit the Short Porch, doing so in the eighth, with his three-run home run over the right field wall, giving the Stags an 11-1 lead in the tilt through eight. Baker capped off the mercy rule win with three outs in the bottom of the eighth to propel the Stags into the Championship Series.
 
Fairfield Notes and Notables
  • Fairfield totaled 14 hits in the dominant win.
  • Ferrara had the best day at the plate for the Stags, hitting .600 (3-for-5) with four RBIs, two runs, and a home run.
  • Bucciero went 2-for-5 in the game, with a homer, two runs, and three RBIs.
  • Kuczik was also 3-for-5 at the plate, hitting the third home run for Fairfield while recording two runs and an RBI.
  • Meth safely got on base three times, going 2-for-4 with a walk and two RBIs
  • The final Stag with multiple hits in the win was Nick Sturino (2-for-3) who also drew a walk and scored a run.
  • Baker (8-1) pitched a complete game, going all 8.0 innings, throwing 102 pitches with seven strike outs, eight hits, and one run.
  • Through two tournament games, the Stags have a pair of 10-run mercy rule wins, combining for 26 hits and outscoring their opposition 24-4.
  • Fairfield returns to the Championship Series for the fifth time over the past six seasons dating back to the 2019 championship.
  • The Stags will be seeking their program’s fifth MAAC Championship, the first since 2016.
Rider Notes and Notables
  • Tiroly and Charley Magoulick were the only Broncs with multiple hits in the game.
  • Tiroly was 2-for-4 with the only run for Rider, his solo shot in the third inning.
  • Magoulick went 2-for-3 at the plate.
  • Kyle Neri also got on base twice, recording one hit and drawing one walk.
  • The losing pitcher in the game was Rider starter Kyle Batt (4-4) who went 5.2 innings, allowing five earned runs, with four strikeouts, and giving up seven hits and three walks.
No. 5 Quinnipiac, 11 | No. 7 Marist, 4
Clover Stadium | POMONA, NY
Box Score
 
No. Quinnipiac defeated No. 7 Marist, 11-4 in the first elimination game of the day. The Bobcats put up half a dozen runs in the bottom of the second with a trio of home runs. Cole Constable lifted one over the Short Porch wall, giving Quinnipiac a 2-0 lead. With two outs, Quinnipiac would hit back-to-back jacks to close out the rally. With two on, CJ Willis sent a shot off the Short Porch foul pole for a three-run homer. Al Irizarry joined the home run barrage, smacking a ball over the right field fence that cleared Clover Stadium and dropped in the parking lot to give Quinnipiac a 6-0 lead. Marist got on the board in the top half of the third via an RBI single by AJ Brotz, cutting the game to 6-1. An inning later in the fourth, the Bobcats added a seventh run, this time Chris Smith doubled to right center for the RBI. Quinnipiac’s lead grew to 10-1 in the sixth when a pair of fielding mishaps by Marist led to three runs by way of errors. Marist scored three runs over the final two innings, but it was too little too late for the Red Foxes comeback attempt, as Quinnipiac snagged the 11-4 victory to keep its season alive.
 
Quinnipiac Notes and Notables
  • All nine starters for Quinnipiac reached base in the game, with eight recording hits.
  • Irizarry was a perfect 5-for-5, hitting a pair of home runs and a double, with four runs, and two RBIs.
  • Constable was the other multi-hit performer, ending the game with a .500 batting average (2-for-4), blasting a home run, two RBIs and one run.
  • Willis led the squad with three RBIs, with his one dinger and pair of runs.
  • Quinnipiac used six different arms in the game.
  • Reliever Ryan O'Connell (3-2) earned the win after tossing 2.0 innings out of the bullpen.
  • The win was the second for the Bobcats in an elimination game of the championship.
Marist Notes and Notables
  • Marist had a productive day at the plate, recording 12 hits, but the Red Foxes failed to bring runners home, leaving 16 on base in the defeat.
  • Four Red Foxes posted a multi-hit day led by Lewis Rodriguez for the second straight game.
  • Rodriguez reached base five times going 3-for-4 and drawing two walks.
  • Brotz (2-for-4), Drew McGowan (2-for-4), and Chris Diaz (2-for-5) all had two hits.
  • Brotz had an RBI and a run.
  • McGowan scored a run.
  • Diaz batted in one run.
  • John Hacker (1-1) got the nod and decision in 1.2 innings, in which he gave up four runs.
No. 1 Rider, 7 | No. 5 Quinnipiac, 3
Clover Stadium | POMONA, NY
Box Score
 
No. 1 Rider earned a 7-3 victory over No. 5 Quinnipiac, in the elimination bracket finale to round out the day’s action. Erich Hartmann started things off for Rider with a long ball over the right field fence in the first inning. The game became a pitcher’s duel over the next four innings with both teams combining to produce just five hits until the fifth inning. In the top of the fifth, the Bobcats took the lead by scoring three runs, with a Gabe Wright sacrifice fly, and a two-run single by CJ Willis. The Broncs answered immediately in the bottom half of the inning, scoring five runs to overtake the lead 6-3. The first run in the inning was walked in, then Nick Shuhet singled down the right field line batting in two runs, before a wild pitch and RBI single to third base by Richie Sica brought home the last two runs of the inning. Rider would resume its defensive advantage over Quinnipiac, shutting down the Bobcats offensively the rest of the game, winning the meeting 7-3.
 
Rider Notes and Notables
  • Rider’s pitching duo of Clayton Poliey and Chris Montone shutdown Quinnipiac, holding the Bobcats to just four hits and three runs, while striking them out seven times.
  • Poliey was the starter, and he pitched the first 4.2 innings of the game, striking out three and giving up the three runs.
  • Montone (3-1) was the winning pitcher, tossing the final 4.1 innings, holding the Bobcats to one hit and no runs, while striking out four.
  • Offensively, Rider finished with 11 hits and seven runs.
  • In addition to his homer, Hartmann went 4-for-5 at the plate, scoring three runs and batting in one run.
  • Shuhet was the team leader in RBIs, batting in three runs and scoring a run.
  • Anthony Paskell hit 2-for-5 and scored a run.
  • This was the second meeting between the two teams in the championship with Rider winning both matchups.
  • Rider makes its fourth appearance in the Championship Series over the past five years since 2021.
  • The Broncs are looking to win their third MAAC title over the past five years and seeking their fifth overall.
Quinnipiac Notes and Notables
  • Sean McCulloch led the Bobcats in hits, connecting on two out of five hits with a double and one run.
  • Willis was 1-for-4 with two RBIs.
  • Nick Balcom (3-4) gave up four runs in 4.0 innings and was the losing pitcher.
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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