WAPPINGERS FALLS, NY (May 23, 2026) – No. 1 Rider University and No. 3 Fairfield University will meet in the 2026 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Baseball Championship Series for the second straight year on Saturday, May 23 at Heritage Financial Park in Wappingers Falls. The Broncs and Stags secured their spots in the championship series with Rider defeating Fairfield in the winner’s bracket finale, before Fairfield played its way out of the elimination bracket with a win over No. 2 Niagara University to punch its ticket in the final. First pitch for the trophy will be at 10:00 am on Saturday morning.
No. 1 Rider – 5 | No. 3 Fairfield – 1
Heritage Financial Park | WAPPINGERS FALLS, NY
Box Score
Powered by dominate pitching and a pair of dingers, No. 1 Rider knocked off defending MAAC Champion, No. 3 Fairfield 5-1 in the winner’s bracket final. Rider got the action going with a run in the second behind a single to left field from Eliot Medlock, which led to Anthony Paskell reaching home. The Broncs plated two runs in the third, highlighted by a solo blast to left field by Kyle Neri to push the lead to 3-0. In the bottom of the fourth, Peter Crespo went yard, sending a two-run homer over right center to extend the lead to 5-0. Fairfield scored its only run via a walk with the bases loaded in the top of the fifth. In the same inning, with two outs and the bases still loaded, MAAC Player of the Year Matt Bucciero came to the plate, but Rider pitcher Christian Aiello entered the game in relief and forced Bucciero into a ground out to get out of the jam and limit the damage to just one run in the inning. Over the final four innings of the game, Rider held Fairfield hitters to just three hits, no runs, and recorded 1-2-3 frames in both the seventh and eighth innings.
Rider Notes and Notables
- Riders starting pitcher Kyle Batt and reliever Aiello (8-2) combined to hold Fairfield to one run, six hits, and five walks.
- Aiello, who was awarded the decision, tossed 4.2 innings of shutout baseball, striking out seven, while giving up three hits.
- Batt finished his day with 4.1 innings of work, one run (unearned), and four strikeouts.
- The Broncs reached double figure hits for the second straight postseason game, connecting on 10 today.
- Neri led the way with three hits, going 3-for-4 with a home run, double, RBI and run scored.
- Charley Magoulick went 2-for-4 and scored one run.
- Crespo’s home run in the fourth was his lone hit, giving him the team lead with two RBIs and one run.
- Rider makes its fifth appearance in the Championship Series over the past six years since 2021.
- The Broncs are looking to win their third MAAC title over the past five years and seeking their fifth overall crown.
Fairfield Notes and Notables
- JP Kuczik had half the Stags hits, going 3-for-3 with a walk in the game.
- Zach Stephenson (1-for-3) scored Fairfield’s lone run, making it home by way of a walk.
- Nolan Colby received the team’s only RBI.
- Bucciero (1-for-4) and Luke Nomura (1-for-2) had the rest of the hits for the Stags.
- Starter Jack Sheldon (3-3) was the losing pitcher after his 3.2 inning day that resulted in five runs, six hits, while striking out two.
No. 2 Niagara – 6 | No. 6 Marist – 2
Heritage Financial Park | WAPPINGERS FALLS, NY
Box Score
No. 2 Niagara cooled off the hot bats of No. 6 Marist in the first elimination game of the day, defeating the Red Foxes 6-2. Marist once again scored in the top of the first, with the run coming from a hit by Nathan Lincoln and then an error by Niagara right fielder, which led to AJ Brotz making it home. Niagara took the lead in the bottom of the second after scoring two runs. A sacrifice fly to left field by Matthew Ganschow allowed Jason Green to tag up at third and make it home for the game-tying run. Jacob Brooks gave the Purple Eagles the lead connecting on an RBI single to left that scored Nick Cote and put Niagara up 2-1. Niagara tacked on another run in the third, this time it was Rees Kozar who scored from third after Cote flied out to center field for a sac fly. The lead extended to 4-1 in the fifth following an RBI single by Green, tabbing a run by Curtis McKay. Marist, which only had a single hit since the first inning, put another run on the board in the top of the sixth with Brotz scoring on a ground out by TJ Baer. Late in the game, Kozar’s RBI single to center put Niagara ahead 5-2 in the home half of the sixth, before an insurance run in the eighth when McKay hit an RBI single and Elijha Hammill scored the unearned run.
Niagara Notes and Notables
- Nate Bennett (4-1) had a stellar day on the mound, delivering a five hit, two run game, in 7.2 innings of action, while striking out six batters.
- The two runs were both unearned.
- Andrew Damiani, the MAAC Relief Pitcher of the Year, closed out the final 1.1 innings to earn his MAAC-leading 12th save of the season.
- A quartet of Purple Eagles produced multiple hits in the victory.
- McKay was the team leader at the plate, going 3-for-4 with an RBI, a run and a pair of stolen bases.
- Hammill went 2-for-5 and scored one run while stealing one bag.
- Both Kozar and Green had an identical statline, both hitting 2-for-4, batting in one run, and scoring one run.
Marist Notes and Notables
- Playing in its third straight elimination game of the tournament, Marist had entered the contest coming off of back-to-back double digit run and hit games (10 and 14).
- The Red Foxes hot hitting and scoring cooled down in the game, with the team only registering five hits and scoring two runs.
- Brotz was the only player on the lineup with multiple hits, going 2-for-4 and scoring both of the team’s runs.
- Lincoln (1-for-4), Kyle Pollack (1-for-4), and Luke Monico (1-for-3) accounted for the other hits.
- Starting pitcher Chirs Ubner (0-3) was the losing pitcher, logging 1.2 innings that saw three hits for two earned runs.
- Marist’s season concluded with an overall record of 25-30.
No. 3 Fairfield – 9 | No. 2 Niagara – 2
Heritage Financial Park | WAPPINGERS FALLS, NY
Box Score
No. 3 Fairfield earned a 9-2 victory over No. 2 Niagara in the elimination bracket finale to round out the day’s action. Niagara used a double steal to score the first run. Tyler ViVacqua stole second and, on the throw, Kozar safely stole home. Fairfield responded in the top half of the third by getting a pair of runs to take a 2-1 lead. A sacrifice fly by Stephenson, which brought Colby in, put the Stags on the board. Then Kuczik kept his impressive postseason intact, sending a dart to the left field that bounced off the wall, leading to an RBI double when Bucciero strolled into home. Two more runs were added in the fifth when Luke Nomura singled to left field for an RBI as Kuczik reached home, followed by a sac fly by Connor Scanlan to score TJ Schmalzle, putting Fairfield up 4-1. In the home half of the inning, Hammill sent a single up the middle for the RBI on Shawn Cameron’s run. Fairfield extended the lead to 7-2, taking advantage of a Niagara miscue. Nomura hit what looked to be a foul ball into left field, but Niagara’s left fielder dropped the fly ball in the field of play, clearing the way for a pair of runs to score. Another sac fly, this time by Jake Haarde, brought home the seventh run of the game. In the ninth inning, Ryan Paine scored standing up on a booming double into the alley by Stephenson and Bucciero knocked in a single through the left side scoring Stephenson from second to add another pair of insurance tallies to the scoreboard.
Fairfield Notes and Notables
- Four Stags had two hits in the win, with the team picking up 11 hits.
- The four hit leaders were Stephenson (2-for-3), Bucciero (2-for-5), Kuczik (2-for-6), and Schmalzle (2-for-3).
- Stephenson reached base four times, with a pair of walks, two RBIs, two runs, and a double.
- Schmalzle got on base on four occasions getting hit by a pitch and being walked once, while scoring two runs and hitting a double.
- Bucciero had one RBI and scored twice.
- Nomura recorded two RBIs and led the team with two stolen bases.
- Brendon Miller (4-1) was the victorious pitcher, fanning seven in 7.0 innings after getting the start.
- Fairfield returns to the Championship Series for the sixth time over the past seven seasons dating back to the 2019 championship.
- The Stags will be seeking their program’s sixth MAAC Championship and looking to become the first back-to-back MAAC Champions since Manhattan in 2011 and 2012.
Niagara Notes and Notables
- Ganschow hit 2-for-3, with a walk and a run.
- Kozar was 2-for-4 with a scored run.
- Hammill went 1-for-4 and had an RBI.
- Starting pitcher Gage Wheaton (2-5) threw 2.2 innings and had three Ks, gave up two runs, two hits, and walked two.
- Niagara finished the year 27-21-1 overall.
For all information regarding the 2026 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 45th year of competition during the 2025-26 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 University.
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