March 17, 2011
Fordham Baseball Game Notes
South Orange, N.J. -
The Fordham baseball team wraps up its spring break road trip this weekend at the Rawlings Strike Out Cancer Tournament, hosted by Seton Hall University. The Rams will match-up with Seton Hall on Friday at noon, followed by 10:00 AM games against Stony Brook on Saturday and NJIT on Sunday.
PROBABLE STARTERS:
Friday - Fordham - RHP Brian Pendergast (1-2) vs. Seton Hall - Benny Mejia (1-1) | 
Saturday - Fordham - RHP Max Krakowiak (2-1) vs. Stony Brook - Nick Tropeano (2-1) |
Sunday - Fordham - RHP Daniel Munday (0-0) vs. NJIT - Mark Leiter (0-1) |
SCOUTING SETON HALL: The Pirates are hosts for the Third Annual Rawlings Strike Out Cancer Out Tournament, and currently sit with a 5-9 record this season.
Seton Hall's pitching has been very strong, posting a team ERA of 3.69, while holding opponents to a .246 batting average. The Pirates will send right-handed pitcher Benny Mejia to the hill on Friday against the Rams. Mejia is 1-1 this season with a 3.52 ERA, posintg 13 strikeouts in 7.2 innings.
At the plate, Zack Granite and Ryan Sullivan have been the top two hitters. Granite is batting .367 with nine runs scored and four stolen bases, while Sullivan is batting .310 with eight runs scored and six RBI.
SCOUTING STONY BROOK: The Seawolves are 7-4 this season, prior to their game on Thursday with Iona. Stony Brook has had a solid start to 2011, posting two wins over Michigan last weekend.
The team is batting .291, led by William Carmona, who is hitting .400 (18-45) with 11 runs scored, four RBI, two home runs and 10 RBI. Pat Cantwell is right behind him at .391 with six doubles and six RBI.
On the hill, Stony Brook is set to throw right-handed pitcher Nick Tropeano against the Rams. Tropeano is 2-1 in three starts with a 1.37 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 19.2 innings.
SCOUTING NJIT: The Highlanders are 2-5 in the early stages of their season. NJIT has struggled a bit at the plate, hitting just .184 as a team, and averaging only 3.3 runs per game.
Anchoring the Highlanders' offense, Bryan Bleakley is hitting .273 with six runs scored, while Jeff Peterson is also batting .273 with two doubles and two RBI.
On the hill, NJIT has right-handed pitcher Mark Leiter lined up to face the Rams on Sunday. Leiter is 0-1 in four appearances with a 12.60 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 10.0 innings of work.
WE'RE GOIN' STREAKIN': Ryan Lee is hitting .375 (15-40) over his last ten games, to go with 10 runs scored and nine RBI... Joe Russo had his eight-game hit streak snapped on Wednesday. In that streak, he batted .406 (13-32) with three doubles, four RBI, and nine runs scored... Brian Kownacki is hitting .333 (14-42) over his last ten games, posting three triples, nine RBI, seven runs scored and six stolen bases... Stephen McSherry is hitting .346 (9-26) with six RBI over his last eight games... Nick Martinez is hitting .359 (14-39) over his last ten games with 10 runs scored, two home runs, and six RBI, while on the mound, he pitched a career-long four innings of relief in the series finale win over Charleston Southern... On the hill, Max Krakowiak is 2-1 with a 3.63 ERA in 22.1 innings with 23 strikeouts and an opponent batting average of .200... Chris Pike has three saves and a win in six appearances out of the bullpen to go with a 1.04 ERA, 19 strikeouts, and .200 opponent batting average... Rich Anastasi is 3-0 in seven appearances out of the bullpen, posting a 3.00 ERA and 14 strikeouts... Brian Pendergast has a 2.52 ERA in four starts, posting 16 strikeouts and a 1-2 record in 25.0 innings... Tim Swatek has 14 strikeouts and a 3.86 ERA in 11.2 innings of work to open the year.
UPCOMING GAMES: Following this weekend, the Rams have a mid-week match-up with Stony Brook on March 22nd. That game has been moved to Fordham for a 3:30 PM start. Following that game, the Rams open Atlantic 10 play with a three-game series at La Salle from March 25-27.
