April 15, 2010

Fordham-Saint Louis Game Notes

Bronx, N.Y. - The Fordham baseball team returns to Atlantic 10 action this weekend with a three-game home series against the Saint Louis Billikens in a very important series to both clubs. The two teams are separated by one game in the Atlantic 10 standings with Saint Louis at 6-3 and Fordham at 5-4.

Since Saint Louis joined the Atlantic 10 in 2006, Fordham and Saint Louis have played against each other six times with the Billikens holding a 4-2 advantage.

PROBABLE STARTERS:
Friday: LHP J.P. Mack (0-4) vs. RHP Bryant Cotton (6-2) | Watch | GameTracker
Saturday: RHP Max Krakowiak (2-3) vs. RHP Alex Alemann (5-3) | Watch | GameTracker
Sunday: RHP Brian Pendergast (3-1) vs. RHP Jerry Mancuso (3-3) | Watch | GameTracker

SCOUTING SAINT LOUIS: Saint Louis is 18-16 overall this season, 6-3 in Atlantic 10 play.

The Billikens are batting .317 on the season with eight batters at .300 or better this season, while averaging close to eight runs a contest. Of those eight batters, two of them, Danny Brock and Jon Myers, are over the .400 mark. Brock leads the team in most offensive categories, hitting .405 with 37 runs scored, 10 doubles, 13 home runs, and 52 RBI, while Myers is batting .403 with 12 doubles, 13 home runs, and 47 RBI.

On the hill, the Billikens boast one of the better starting rotations in the Atlantic 10 in Bryant Cotton, Alex Alemann, and Jerry Mancuso. Cotton is 6-2 this season with a 4.01 ERA, two complete games, and 46 strikeouts in 58.1 innings, while Alemann if 5-3 with a 4.84 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 61.1 innings. Mancuso rounds out the rotation with a 3-3 mark and a 6.39 ERA in 43.2 innings.

WE'RE GOIN' STREAKIN': Angelo Ponte is batting .381 (8-21) with a home run and five RBI in his last six games... Since taking over as the starting leftfielder on March 27th, Ryan Lee is hitting .308 (16-52) with 12 runs scored, four doubles, and 10 RBI... Mike Mobbs is hitting .372 (16-43) over his last nine games with 12 runs scored three doubles, two home runs, and eight RBI... Ryan McCrann is batting .366 (15-41) with 12 runs scored, eight RBI, and five stolen bases in his last nine games... Brian Kownacki is also hitting .366 (15-41) over the last nine game with 10 RBI and four stolen bases, while having his career-long 11-game hit streak snapped at Rutgers... Chris Walker has 12 RBI in his last nine games... In three conferenge starts, Brian Pendergast and Max Krakowiak have been strong, as Pendergast is 2-0 with a 3.86 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 18.2 innings, while Krakowiak is also 2-0 with a 3.09 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 23.1 innings.

HOT STARTS: No hitter in the Rams' line-up has been more consistent than junior Chris Walker this season. He leads the Rams' in batting (.333), hits (41), doubles (15), and RBI (28). He also set a career-best hitting streak this season at nine games from February 20th through March 10th.

Senior Mike Mobbs has been fantastic for the Rams, hitting .328 with a team-best 33 runs scored to go with 10 doubles, two triples, three home runs and 13 RBI.

RAMS AMONG A-10 LEADERS (4/14): Through the first month plus of the season, the following Rams currently find themselves among the Atlantic 10 leaders:

Category - Name - Total - Rank
Doubles - Chris Walker - 15 - 2nd
Doubles - Mike Mobbs - 10 - T9th
Triples - Mobbs/Kownacki/McCrann - 2 - T7th
ERA - Brian Pendergast - 4.47 - 7th
ERA - Max Krakowiak - 4.62 - 10th
Wins - Munday/Pendergast - 3 - T9th
Opponent BA - Brian Pendergast - .213 - 1st
Opponent BA - Max Krakowiak - .251 - 5th
Inning Pitched - Max Krakowiak - 50.2 - 5th
Strikeouts - Max Krakowiak - 40 - T8th
Comp. Games - Max Krakowiak - 2 - T2nd
Saves - Brando Casalicchio - 2 - T6th

NOT THE WHO... THE HOU!: After a major reconstruction project that lasted close to a year, the Fordham baseball team has called Houlihan Park home for the last four seasons.

Houlihan Park has been very friendly to the Rams, winning over 60% of the games at 59-38 over that span. Fordham has continued that winning in 2010, opening with a 5-4 record at home.

UPCOMING GAMES: The Rams' next home game is set for Tuesday, April 20th, against the Iona College Gaels, beginning at 7:00 PM. Fordham then gets back to the road, heading to St. John's on Wednesday, April 21st for a 6:00 PM game, and after that to Dayton for a three-game series, April 23-25.