NORTHBOROUGH, Mass. – The Rivier baseball team was downed by Emerson by a final score of 16-12 in non-conference action on Thursday afternoon at the New England Baseball Complex.

The Raiders fell to 6-8 overall while the Lions improved to 6-8.

Rivier got out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the second as senior JD Normand and sophomore Colton Colleran delivered back-to-back RBI base knocks. In the bottom half, the Lions responded with a two-RBI single to tie the contest, before a rundown following a failed pickoff attempt allowed an Emerson baserunner to come home from third, giving the hosts a 3-2 edge.

Two separate two-RBI singles in the top of the third increased the Lions' lead to five runs after the third inning.

After Emerson added another run in the bottom of the fourth, Rivier scored five times in the top of the fifth to bring the game within one run. Junior Nathan Innerfield and senior Luis Tejada each produced RBI doubles before senior JD Normand launched a two-run homer to make it an 8-7 game. A solo homer in the bottom of the fifth made it 9-7.

Rivier tied the contest in the next frame, scoring on an RBI single from Owen Medlock and a wild pitch.

Back-to-back Emerson home runs in the bottom half gave the Lions their two-run lead back. They then added four runs in the seventh to make it a 16-9 game. Innerfield produced an RBI sacrifice fly before Tejada smacked a two-run homer in the eighth inning, but it would not be enough to erase the deficit.

Rivier returns to Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action on Friday, March 28 for a doubleheader at Norwich beginning at noon.