Box Score April 24, 2009
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Bronx, N.Y. - Stellar defense helped the Fordham baseball team hold onto a 3-1 lead until the University of Dayton scored four, ninth-inning runs to defeat the Rams, 5-3, in the first game of the pivotal three-game Atlantic 10 series.
Fordham falls to 14-25 (9-7 Atlantic 10) while Dayton improves to 26-14 (12-4 Atlantic 10).
Dayton struck first in the top of the second after Jimmy Roesinger homered to left field to give the Flyers a 1-0 lead.
Fordham came back with two runs in the bottom of the third to go up, 2-1. Mike Mobbs led off the inning with a double to right-center field while a Nick Martinez hit-by-pitch and a Brian Kownacki walk loaded the bases. Fifth-year senior Danny Leach's slow roller to short brought home the first run while Martinez scored on a Bobby DiNardo ground out.
Both teams' bats remained quiet for the next four innings as Fordham starter J.P. Mack and Dayton hurler Cameron Hobson both settled in. Mack went on to throw 7.1 innings of one run ball on seven hits, three walks and three strike outs while Hobson went seven innings, giving up three runs on seven hits, two walks while striking out 11 Fordham batters.
It wasn't until the bottom of the seventh that the Rams would add on another run to extend their lead to 3-1. It was Leach who got things going with two outs with his 199th career base hit. He would advance to second on a wild pitch and would later be moved over to third on a misplayed ball by Flyers' first baseman Marshall MacDonald. Up stepped senior catcher Angelo Ponte to rip a single to center, bringing home Leach.
It all came down to the top of the ninth when Aaron Dunsmore hit his eighth home run of the season off of Chris Kaible who had come in relief to get the final two outs of the eighth inning.
A quick fly out to center and a strike out put the Rams' just one run away from a win, but Fordham could not bring in the final out as the Flyers scored three more runs in the inning to go up 5-3. The Rams could only put one runner on base in the bottom of the ninth with Sean Finn closing out the game for his second save on the year.
Kaible falls to 3-2 on the year as Chris Beesley improves to 4-2 in his one inning of relief work.
Mobbs paced the Fordham offense with three hits and a run scored while Leach put together a 2-4 outing with a run scored and an RBI.
The Rams and the Flyers will be back at it again at Houlihan Park on Saturday, April 25, at 4:00 PM.
