Baseball suffers 10-4 setback at Gordon College

(Wenham, Mass.) The Rivier University Baseball team suffered a 10-4 setback this afternoon at Gordon College in a non-conference contest. Both offenses were sharp early and Gordon did enough in the later innings to clinch their third straight home win, fifth consecutive.

The Raiders drop to 4-12 on the year while seeing their own four-game win streak come to an end. Gordon is now 9-5 with Commonwealth Coast Conference play quickly approaching this weekend.

Rivier used some small ball early to get to rookie starter Derek Hudson (Hudson, N.H.) in the top of the first. Tyler Ferdinand (Middleboro, Mass.) and Brandon Thibault (Methuen, Mass.) both reached safely on bunt singles to different gaps of the infield. Both players eventually scored with two outs in the inning on back-to-back RBI singles by Jacob Rayner (Billerica, Mass.) and Adam Arkell (Dover, N.H.).

Gordon did not let the deficit stay for long, striking for the tying run in the bottom of the first. Addison Tarr (Oxnard, Calif.) led off the rally with a single and scored two batters later when Dean Demers (Sandy Hook, Conn.) crushed a double to the gap in right. Demers stole third and scored the equalizer on a triple by Alex Smith (Wethersfield, Conn.) to dead center.

Fielders had to combat powerful winds for much of the game and Rivier capitalized on Mother Nature in the top of the second. The top of the lineup was at the center of the scoring once again after Hudson was able to get the eight and nine hitters out. Ferdinand shot a ball up the middle for a single and Thibault ushered both of them home with a towering ball over the left-field fence.

The Fighting Scots answered again in the bottom of the second, but this time the home team was able to take the lead. Chris Leavitt (Bridgewater, Mass.) got on base to begin the frame and two outs later he was standing on third with Tarr at bat. The Gordon centerfielder took a pitch in the elbow and then beat out a throw at second on a fielder's choice, allowing Leavitt to score.

Still down 4-3, Demers hit his second RBI double in as many innings to score Tarr and Ryan Paulsen (Latham, N.Y.) to take the advantage.

Hudson settled into a groove in the middle stages of the game, as zeroes went up on the scoreboard for the next four innings for the Raiders. Gordon was able to extend its lead to two runs in the bottom of the sixth on a double by Paulsen and an RBI single by Demers.

Gordon's four pitchers only gave up two hits after the second inning, silencing a Raider offense that looked potent in the early stages. The Scots delivered a four-run knockout blow in the eighth with Demers putting the cap on an excellent day by smashing a pitch to the putting green beyond the left-field wall. Paulsen also had an RBI knock in the inning.

Rivier junior Drew Neely (Lakeland, Fla.) suffered his first loss of the season as he allowed five runs over three innings of work.

The Raiders will be back in action tomorrow evening as they travel to Lynn, Massachusetts for a date with Fisher College. The game can be seen via both Live Stats and Live Video, beginning at 7pm.