Box Score March 13, 2011
Box Score
Charleston, S.C. -
Looking to rebound from a pair of losses to Charleston Southern, the Fordham Rams got exactly what they needed this afternoon in Charleston, South Carolina. The Rams tallied seven runs on 13 hits and got a great bullpen effort from Chris Pike, as Fordham topped Charleston Southern by a score of 7-3 at CSU Ballpark.
With the win, Fordham improves to 10-4 overall, while Charleston Southern drops to 9-6. It was the first win for Fordham over Charleston Southern in six all-time meetings.
For the third straight game in this series, Fordham opened the scoring with a pair of runs in the first. Ryan David singled up the middle with one out, and was followed by a two-run home run by Ryan Lee, his first of the season.
Charleston Southern responded with a run in the bottom of the inning. Brantley Meier opened the frame with a single and moved to second on a ground out. Meier then stole third and scored on a wild pitch.
Fordham extended the lead to 4-1 in the fourth, as Brian Kownacki walked with two outs and stole second. After a single by Stephen McSherry moved Kownacki to third, Ryan Maghini ripped a two-run double to center, scoring Kownacki and McSherry.
The Buccaneers closed to within 4-3 with single runs in the fourth and sixth innings. In the fourth, CSU had first and third with no outs. Tom Burkett lifted a fly ball to left for McSherry, who caught the ball and then threw out Walt Quattlebaum at the plate. However, two walks and a wild pitch would earn the Buccaneers' Zach Hagaman a run scored. In the sixth, Meier scored Hagaman with a sacrifice fly to make it, 4-3.
The Rams would extend the lead with single runs in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings to make it a 7-3 game. In the seventh, Lee reached second on an error and scored on an RBI-single by Chris Walker, while in the eighth inning, Maghini knocked out his second double of the game and scored on a single by Nick Martinez.
Fordham's final run came courtesy of a walk to Joe Russo, followed by an RBI-triple down the right field line by Kownacki.
The offensive surge was enough for freshman pitcher Chris Pike (1-0), who threw 5.1 innings of three-hit relief to record his first collegiate win. He gave up only one run in that span, while striking out two. Fordham starter Daniel Munday went the first 3.2 innings, allowing two runs on five hits with three strikeouts.
At the plate, David was 3-for-5 with a run scored, with Maghini having two doubles and two RBI. Kownacki and McSherry also had a pair of hits and a run scored each, with Lee having two RBI on his home run.
Charleston Southern's Jesse Cadenhead (1-2) took the loss, allowing four runs on eight hits with eight strikeouts.
The final game of this four-game series is set for Monday at 2:00 PM.
