Baseball with a Pair of Mid-Week Contests This Week

Bronx, N.Y. – (April 16, 2018) – Following its series win at La Salle, the Fordham baseball team is right back it with a pair of mid-week contests this week.  The Rams will host the Fairfield Stags at Houlihan Park on Tuesday at 3:00 PM, while traveling to Columbia for a 3:30 PM game.   Fordham (21-11-1) is coming off its third conference series win of the year, taking two of three games at La Salle.  The Rams sit 10 games over the .500 mark for the first time since 2011, while it's the earliest the Rams have had 20 wins since 1991.
 
Probable Starters/Game Coverage
Tuesday - Fordham – RHP Mike Cowell (0-1, 6.11) vs. Fairfield - RHP Eli Oliphant (2-1, 2.36) // Live Video | Live Stats | Twitter - @FordhamBaseball
 
Wednesday – Fordham – LHP Matt Mikulski (1-3, 9.88) at Columbia - RHP Timmy Post (1-1, 5.94) // Live Video (PPV) | Live Stats | Twitter - @FordhamBaseball
 
Series History
Fordham holds a slight edge in the series history with Fairfield.  In 53 all-time meetings, the Rams are 27-26 against the Stags, but Fairfield has won each of the last three meetings, including a 6-3 decision last year.  Fordham's last win over Fairfield came in 2014.
 
For Wednesday, it is a renewal of one of the longest-standing college baseball series as Fordham and Columbia will meet up.  The series began back in 1884, but since 1902, Fordham is 72-53-2 against the Lions.  Lately, it's been the road team getting the better of the home squad, as the road team has won the last three meetings.  Most recently, Columbia earned a 6-1 at Houlihan Park last season, while Fordham won 4-1 at Columbia in 2016.  
 
Last Time Out
Behind two outstanding pitching performances from Ben Greenberg and Anthony DiMeglio, the Fordham baseball team swept a doubleheader from the La Salle Explorers, 4-3 and 12-8, at Hank DeVincent Field in Philadelphia.
 
Fordham opened the game with a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning.  Billy Godrick led off with a double with Jake MacKenzie drawing a walk.  After a double steal, Godrick scored on a sacrifice fly by Matt Tarabek, while MacKenzie scored on a wild pitch.
 
The Rams then busted out the long ball to extend the lead to 4-0 by the fourth.  MacKenzie struck in the third with a solo home run to left, his team-leading sixth of the season, while C.J. Vazquez connected on his first career home run to left in the fourth inning.
 
Fordham starter Ben Greenberg cruised through the first five innings, but hit a touch of trouble in the sixth, as the Explorers cut the Fordham lead in half to 4-2 on an RBI-double by Tommy Toal and an RBI-single from Dylan Evans.  La Salle made it 4-3 in the eighth, getting the go-ahead run on base with two outs.  Fordham reliever Kyle Martin got the job done however, getting Austin Constantini to pop out to first to end the inning.
 
Martin then closed out the game with a scoreless ninth to record his fifth save of the season.  Greenberg improved to 5-1 on the season, allowing three runs on nine hits with six strikeouts.  At the plate, Vazquez was 2-for-3 with a home run, while MacKenzie went 1-for-3 with a home run, two runs scored, and a stolen base.
 
In game two, Fordham exploded for a seven-run first inning, which began with a leadoff home run by Godrick, the second time he has led off the game with a home run this season.  The Rams then loaded the bases and forced in two runs on a walk to Brian Goulard and a Colton Snelling hit by pitch.  Reiss Knehr then unloaded the bases with a grand slam home run to right center, his second round-tripper of the season.

 
Knehr picked up an RBI-bunt in the third for an 8-0 lead before La Salle scored twice on a solo home run to right center and a sac fly in the bottom half of the third, making it 8-2.  Fordham again had an answer in the fourth, scoring three times for an 11-2 edge.  Vazquez and Goulard each had RBI-singles, while Knehr picked up his sixth RBI of the game on a bases loaded walk.
 
La Salle worked their way back into the game with four runs in the seventh and one in the eighth to make it an 11-7 game.  Fordham regained the momentum with a run in the ninth, when Nico Doria and Godrick connected on back-to-back doubles to put the Rams on top, 12-7.  A solo home run by La Salle accounted for the 12-8 final.
 
For Fordham, Anthony DiMeglio improved to 5-0 on the season, as he struck out a career-high 10 batters over 6.2 innings of work, allowing three earned runs.  At the plate, Knehr was 2-for-4 with a home run and a career-high six RBI, while Goulard and Godrick each had two hits and two RBI. 

MacKenzie Named A-10 Rookie of the Week (4/16)
The Atlantic 10 Conference announced its set of weekly baseball awards on Monday with Fordham freshman Jake MacKenzie (Wallingford, Conn.) being named the league's Rookie of the Week for the second consecutive week.  This is now the fifth rookie award this season for Fordham.
 
MacKenzie extended his season-high hit streak to nine games with an incredible week where he hit .450 (9-for-20) with an on-base percentage of .500 and slugging percentage of 1.050.  He totaled seven runs scored, ten RBI, three doubles, three home runs, and four stolen bases for the week.  He started the week going 3-for-5 with three doubles, two RBI, and two runs scored in game one of a doubleheader against Siena, followed by two hits and two RBI in game two. MacKenzie then opened the Rams' series at La Salle with two home runs (one inside the park) and a season-high five RBI. He then hit his third home run of the series in game two to go with two runs scored.
 
We're Goin' Streaking
Freshman Jake MacKenzie is currently on a nine-game hit streak, batting .447 over that stretch with 10 runs scored, five doubles, two triples, three home runs, 14 RBI, and five stolen bases… Junior Brian Goulard is hitting .387 over his last nine games with five runs scored, eight RBI, and four stolen bases… Sophomore Billy Godrick is batting .314 in his last nine contests with five runs scored, four doubles, a home run, nine RBI, and six stolen bases… Kyle Martin is 1-1 with three saves and a 1.80 ERA in his last nine appearances with 17 strikeouts in 10 innings… Over their last four starts, Fordham's weekend trio of Reiss Knehr, Ben Greenberg, and Anthony DiMeglio are a combined 7-2 with a group ERA under 3.00 and an opponent batting average below .200.
 
That Was Quick
With the Rams' first win over La Salle on April 14^th, Fordham hit the 20-win mark as a team.  This is the earliest calendar date for the Rams to reach 20 wins since the 1991 team also reached 20 victories on April 14^th.  Over the last 30 years, the Rams have only gotten to 20 wins faster was the 1988 season, which hit 20 on April 9^th.  That 1988 team went on to set a modern day school record with 36 wins.
 
He's Going, He's Going
A popular phrase heard at Fordham's Houlihan Park at any Rams' home game is "He's going, he's going!"  That phrase has certainly been true throughout the 2018 season.  This year, the Rams have 114 stolen bases, which marks the 11^th time that Fordham has surpassed the 100-stolen base plateau in team history.  The Rams rank first in the Atlantic 10 and first in the country in overall steals, while the team's 3.45 average is also tops in the nation.  Individually, 11 Rams have at least one stolen bases this season and six are in double figures.
 
Who's Next
Following games against Fairfield and Columbia, the Rams host George Washington for a three-game series at Houlihan Park, April 20-22.