RIDER at FLORIDA

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (Interstat) — The Rider Broncs (33-17) visit the Florida Gators (39-19) on Friday afternoon at McKethan Stadium, a matchup of two teams riding recent momentum. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. The weather forecast calls for temperatures in the mid-80s Fahrenheit with partly cloudy skies.

The Broncs send ace right-hander PJ Craig to the mound. Craig has been dominant over his last four starts, all victories. On May 23 against Fairfield, he threw seven innings of no-hit ball, striking out six in a 6-1 win. In his previous outing, he tossed a complete game against Merrimack, allowing three hits and two earned runs while fanning six. Over that four-start stretch, Craig has surrendered just three earned runs in 29 innings, striking out 21.

Florida counters with a potent lineup led by left fielder Blake Cyr. Despite a 7-8 loss at Georgia on May 23 in which Cyr went 3-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs, he has been hot at the plate. In his last ten games, Cyr has five multi-hit performances, including a 4-for-5, two-RBI outing against Vanderbilt on May 20. He is hitting .386 over that span with three home runs and 12 RBIs.

Rider enters the game having won four straight, including a three-game sweep of Fairfield last weekend. The Broncs also swept a home series against Saint Peter’s and took two of three at Quinnipiac earlier in May. Their offense has produced double-digit runs in four of their last seven games.

Florida has won eight of its last ten, though the Gators dropped the series finale at Georgia. They swept a three-game set at LSU in mid-May, scoring 37 runs in the series. At home, Florida is 22-6.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 8-7 victory for Rider, yet Florida has been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-4.5 runs.

Key for Rider: Craig must continue his command against a Gators lineup that averages 7.2 runs per game. For Florida, Cyr and the top of the order need to solve Craig early.

The game is the first of a weekend series, with both teams looking to solidify their postseason resumes.