Box Score May 2, 2008
Final Stats
Bronx, N.Y. -
In a game that featured the top two pitchers in the Atlantic 10 Conference, everyone was expecting a pitchers dual in today's Fordham-Charlotte match-up at Houlihan Park. Fordham senior Tom Davis entered the game with a 6-2 record and an Atlantic 10 best 2.10 ERA while Charlotte freshman Joe Yermal entered with a perfect 7-0 record, leading the conference in wins, while compiling a 2.73 ERA, second best in the conference. And while the two teams combined for only 12 hits it would appear to have been a pitcher's dual except for the fact that the Rams picked up four of their seven hits in a seven-run third inning en route to a 10-0 win over the 49ers.
The game marked the first time that Charlotte has been shut out in a conference game since joining the Atlantic 10 in 2005 and is Fordham's first win over the 49ers in six chances. With the win, Fordham improves to 26-19-1 overall, 10-9 in the conference, while Charlotte falls to 32-13, 12-7 in the conference.
Davis (7-2) threw the first seven innings for the Rams, allowing four hits while striking out seven, to earn his seventh win of the year and tie Yarmel for the Atlantic 10 lead. He allowed just two base runners to reach third and retired the last five batters he faced.
Charlotte threatened to score first, loading the bases with two outs in the third on a walk, a double and another walk before Davis struck out Ron Lerley to end the threat.
The Rams then exploded for seven runs in the bottom of the inning, using four hits and taking advantage of three walks from Yermal, who had issued only 12 free passes in his previous 66 innings this season. Alex Kenny led off the Fordham third with a walk and he moved to second when Rich Goulian hit a hard ground ball that deflected off Yermal before the pitcher was able to recover and get Goulian at first. Leach then delivered Kenny with a double to left before moving to third on a wild pitch. After Eric Reese walked and stole second, Chris Kaible drew the third walk of the inning to load the bases. Ryan McCrann brought in Leach with the second run of the inning with a single before Bobby DiNardo cleared the bases with a three-run double to left center to make it a 5-0 game. DiNardo would come in to score when a P.J. Como grounder to short was thrown wide of first and Como came in to score the final run of the inning on a Ryan David single.
The 49ers almost put a run on the board in the fifth when Shayne Moody singled with one out, moved to second on a ground out and took third on an error. But Davis got Chris Taylor to ground out to end the inning.
Fordham made it an 8-0 game in the fifth as DiNardo led off with a double off Charlotte reliever Andrew Smith, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on another wild pitch.
The Rams closed out the scoring in the eighth when a walk to David, a Kenny single and a walk to Goulian loaded the bases for Leach who brought in David and Kenny with a single.
Leach and DiNardo each finished the game 2-for-4 with three RBI while Ryan Sheflott threw the final two innings for the Rams, allowing one hit while fanning one.
The two teams will continue their three-game series with a single game on Saturday afternoon at Houlihan Park beginning at 4:00 p.m.
