March 19, 2010

Fordham-Michigan Game Notes

Port St. Lucie, N.Y. - The Fordham baseball team's southern swing through Florida finishes up this weekend with a three-game set against Michigan at the New York Mets Spring Training Complex in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Surprisingly, this will be the first ever meetings in baseball between Fordham and Michigan, considering Fordham is in its 150th season and Michigan is in its 145th season.

PROBABLE STARTERS:
Friday - LHP J.P. Mack (0-2) vs. RHP Matt Miller (0-2) |
Saturday -
Game 1: RHP Max Krakowiak (0-2) vs. RHP Alan Oaks (1-3) |
Game 2: LHP Rich Anastasi (0-1) vs. LHP Bobby Brosnahan (0-2) |

FLORIDA ROAD SWING: Fordham baseball will play a total of eight games over nine days in the Rams' annual spring break trip to Florida. The Rams opened the trip with a three-game set against Pittsburgh in Vero Beach at Dodgertown. After the two-game set at Miami, the Rams wrap up the road trip in Port St. Lucie, where Fordham meets Michigan for the first time in team history. Those games are at the New York Mets Spring Training Facility.

SCOUTING MICHIGAN: The Wolverines are 6-9 on the season, having played six games against nationally ranked teams already this season. Michigan is coached by eighth-year head coach Rich Maloney.

The Wolverines are batting .288 on the season, averaging over six runs a contest. Individually, Patrick Biondi is the team's top bat, hitting .387 with 17 runs scored, 12 RBI, and seven stolen bases in 15 games, while Coley Crank is batting .362 with five doubles, four home runs, and 14 RBI.

On the hill, Michigan has a 6.75 ERA and a .310 opponent batting average. The Wolverines' best hurler is Alan Oaks, who will pitch on Saturday. Oaks is 1-3 on the year with a 2.73 ERA in 26.1 innings. Out of the bullpen, Michigan counts on Brandon Sinnery, who had a 3.00 ERA in seven appearances to go with 15 strikeouts and one save in 15 innings.

KNOCKIN' OFF THE `CANES: On March 16th, Fordham pulled off their first upset of a ranked opponent since 2005, when the Rams defeated the then-#11 Miami Hurricanes, 4-3, at Alex Rodriguez Park. The last ranked team Fordham knocked off was Winthrop in 2005.

In the game, Angelo Ponte drove in three runs, while Brian Pendergast recorded his first win as a Ram with five strong innings, while Jordan Grangard, Rich Anastasi, Daniel Munday, and Brando Casalicchio combined for four scoreless innings of relief.

OUT OF THE GATE: Fordham baseball has put together an aggressive schedule for 2010, heading into Atlantic 10 play in late March. The Rams have already seen Old Dominion, Duke, & Pittsburgh in three-game series, nationally ranked Miami (Fla.) in a two-game set, and Michigan this week weekend. Fordham was also supposed to play George Mason in a three-game series, but due to poor field conditions in Fairfax, Virginia.

WE'RE GOIN' STREAKIN': Senior Angelo Ponte is batting .389 (7-18) over his last five games with seven RBI... Senior Mike Mobbs has scored at least one run in seven of the last eight games, while hitting .333 (8-24) with three doubles and a home run over his last seven games... After a slow start, senior Ryan McCrann has picked up the pace, hitting .304 (7-23) his last six games... Though he didn't pick up a decision, junior Brian Pendergast has been strong in his last three starts, posting a 1.42 ERA and a win over #11 Miami, allowing a total of three earned runs in 19.0 innings to go with 17 strikeouts... Senior Brando Casalicchio has relished his new role in the Fordham bullpen, posting a 1.04 ERA and two saves in six appearances, while holding opponents to a .138 batting average.

HOT STARTS: No hitter in the Rams' line-up has been hotter than junior Chris Walker to open the season, as he leads the Rams' in batting (.362), hits (21), doubles (6), and RBI (13). He also set a career-best hitting streak this season at nine games from February 20th through March 10th.

Senior Mike Mobbs has also gotten out to a great start through 15 games, hitting .308 with a team-best 13 uns scored to go with four doubles, two triples, and three RBI.

CALLING FOR LEFTY: Over the past two seasons, the Rams have had a short list of left-handed pitchers to call upon, namely J.P. Mack, who was the only left-handed pitcher on the roster.

In 2010, Mack has finally gotten some help with the additions of freshmen lefties Rich Anastasi and Ryan DeMartino. Both pitchers have started off their Fordham careers well through the first portion of the season.

Anastasi has made six appearances out of the bullpen, posting a 3.07 ERA in 14.2 innings with 12 strikeouts, while DeMartino has recorded a win and seven strikeouts in five appearances.

UPCOMING GAMES: Following the road trip to Florida, Fordham returns to Houlihan Park for a home game against Stony Brook on Wednesday, March 24th, beginning at 3:00 PM. The Rams then open Atlantic 10 Conference play at Richmond on March 26th-28th. Game times are set for 3:00 PM (Friday), 2:00 PM (Saturday), and 1:00 PM (Sunday).