Box Score April 12, 2009
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Pittsburgh, Pa. - It came down to the wire for the Fordham baseball team as they were able to outlast Duquesne University, 9-8, to improve to 8-4 in Atlantic 10 conference play.
Senior Danny Leach used his speed to get the Rams a run in the top of the first after reaching on an error and stealing his 13th base of the year. Freshman Brian Kownacki moved Leach over to third on a ground out while Leach would score on a wild pitch.
Fordham (12-19, 8-4 Atlantic 10) brought two more runners across the plate, in the top of the second, to put the Rams up 3-0. With runners on first and third, Mike Mobbs smacked a double to right-center field to score one while Alex Kenny would score on a Nick Martinez ground ball.
The Rams put up three more runs, in the top of the third, to push the Fordham lead to 6-0. Things got started in the inning with a Leach lead-off walk followed by a double by Kownacki down the left-field line. A Bobby DiNardo grounder to first base was deep enough to score Leach from third for the first Fordham run.
With Kownacki on second, senior Ryan McCrann stepped up to the plate and cracked a double to right while McCrann would be brought home on Stephen McSherry's single to left field.
Six runs did not sit well with Duquesne (7-25, 3-8) as they plated four in the bottom of the third to bring the score to 6-4. The Dukes scored those runs on six singles and one walk before the Rams got out of the inning on a ground-ball double play.
Both teams could not put a successful offensive effort together until the bottom of the seventh when Rick Deveraux homered to right to bring the Dukes to within one.
Fordham responded with what would be three vital runs in the bottom of the eighth to bring the score to 9-5. With runners on second and third, Martinez laced a single to right for his third hit of the game, bringing home both runners. Leach then hit the Rams' fifth double of the game, scoring Martinez.
Duquesne got a run back, in the bottom of the eighth, as freshman reliever Daniel Munday gave up a bases-loaded walk to give the Dukes their only run in the inning without surrendering a hit.
Things got a bit dicey in the bottom of the ninth with Munday hitting the lead-off batter while Mark Tracy cracked his third homerun in two games to bring the tying run to the plate with no one out. That would be it for Munday as head coach Nick Restaino turned to Max Krakowiak to close out the game.
This was the first time Krakowiak has seen any action on the hill since March 21, when he lasted only four innings in a start against Charlotte. That absence from the mound did not affect the sophomore as he earned his first save on the year while facing four batters in the inning, striking out two.
Sophomore John Flanagan earned his fourth win on the year after throwing 6.2 innings of five run ball on 11 Dukes hits while issuing five walks and striking out one.
The freshman class made it happen at the plate as Stephen McSherry went 4-5 with two runs and an RBI while Nick Martinez had a 3-4 day with three RBI and a run scored. Danny Leach and Mike Mobbs also had a run scored and an RBI on the day.
Fordham will now host Rutgers University on Tuesday, April 14, at 4:00 PM.
