Box Score March 16, 2010
Box Score
Coral Gables, Fla. -
Last week, it was Fordham softball taking down a ranked ACC powerhouse in Georgia Tech. On Tuesday, it was Fordham baseball's turn, as the Rams defeated the 11th ranked Miami Hurricanes, 4-3, behind a three-RBI night by Angelo Ponte at Alex Rodriguez Park in Coral Gables, Fla. It was Fordham's first win over Miami in nine all-time games, and the first over a ranked opponent since 2005.
With the win, Fordham improves to 4-10 on the season, while Miami moves to 10-5. The last ranked opponent Fordham beat was Winthrop in 2005.
The game started in Miami's favor with a 2-0 lead in the first, as they tallied a pair of runs on two Fordham errors.
Fordham immediately came back in the second with a three-run spurt to take a 3-2 edge off Miami starter Steven Ewing (2-1). Chris Walker led off with a walk, and moved to third on a double by Ryan McCrann. Angelo Ponte then connected for a two-run single to left to tie the game. After Ponte stole second, Alex Kenny knocked a double to right center to score Ponte for the go-ahead run.
The Rams made it 4-2 in third, as Ponte did the damage again. Mike Mobbs started the frame with a single and moved to second on a wild pitch. After a walk to Walker, Ponte drove in Mobbs with a single to left for the two-run lead.
Miami pulled back within one, 4-3, in the bottom half of the frame on a sacrifice fly by Chris Pelaez, scoring Stephen Perez, who singled, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt and to third on a balk.
The pitching staffs of both teams then took over the game, as both kept posting zero after zero on the scoreboard.
Fordham's Brian Pendergast (1-1) got through the first five innings for Fordham, and handed over the pitching duties to Jordan Grangard.
Grangard went the next 1 1/3 innings, stranding a Miami runner at second in the sixth inning, and then giving way to Rich Anastasi with one on and one out in the seventh.
Anastasi kept the Rams ahead through seventh, getting a fly and strikeout to end that Miami threat. He then retired the side in order in the eighth inning, finishing with a pair of strikeouts.
The Hurricanes stayed right with Fordham, as relievers E.J. Encinosa and Eric Whaley pitched a combined 6 2/3 innings of no-hit relief with eight strikeouts, leading to Miami's final at bat in the ninth.
In the ninth, Nathan Melendres led off with a single, which closed out Anastasi's night, as Daniel Munday entered the game for Fordham. Munday faced pinch hitter Ryan Perry, who sacrificed Melendres to second. Brando Casalicchio then came on for Munday out of the Fordham bullpen.
Casalicchio then closed out the game for the Rams, getting Frank Ratcliff to pop up to second base and Perez on a fly out to center, clinching the 4-3 Fordham win.
Pendergast recorded his first win as a Ram, allowing two earned runs on four hits with three strikeouts, while Casalicchio posted his second save of the season. At the plate, Ponte was 2-for-4 with three RBI, while Kenny was 1-for-3 with an RBI-double.
The same two teams will wrap up their two-game set on Wednesday with a 6:00 PM start at Alex Rodriguez Park.
