Box Score April 19, 2011
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Bronx, N.Y. -
For a game that changed start times for inclement weather, the rain cooperated enough to get in the annual Fordham-Iona game at Houlihan Park on Tuesday. There was no "Fordham Flip" in this year's match-up, but Fordham's Brian Thompson put in a career-best performance to lead the Rams to their sixth straight win by a 9-5 score over the Gaels.
With the win, Fordham improves to 23-13 on the season, while Iona falls to 12-22. The Rams have now surpassed their win total from each of the last two seasons, and sit ten games over .500 for the first time since May 2007.
Fordham got the ball rolling with a three-run first inning, thanks to four walks by Iona pitching. The Rams loaded the bases on a single by Nick Martinez, a walk to Chris Walker, and a hit by pitch for Ryan David. Tim Swatek and Brian Kownacki each drew walks to force in a run, while Stephen McSherry plated David with a sacrifice fly to left for a 3-0 lead.
The Rams made it 5-0 in the third, as David led off with a bunt single, extending his career-long hit streak to seven games, and moved to second on a single by Kownacki. A pair of wild pitches scored David from second with Kownacki coming home on an RBI-single by McSherry for the five-run lead.
Fordham starter
Brian Thompson cruised through the first four innings, but Iona finally got to him in the fifth, scoring three unearned runs on three Fordham errors to trail by two 5-3.
The Rams got two runs back to take a 7-3 lead with single runs in the fifth and sixth inning. Swatek scored in the fifth, as he reached on a double and eventually scored on an error, while Ryan Maghini singled in the sixth, advanced two bases on a wild pitch, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Ryan Phelan. Maghini's hit extended his career-long hit streak to 11 games.
The Gaels fought right back in the seventh, as they loaded the bases and got two runs on a walk and a hit batsman. However, Fordham reliever Joseph Charest would get the Rams out of the inning, as he retired Iona's Joe Smith with two outs and the bases still loaded.
The Rams posted two more runs in the eighth, highlighted by an RBI-single by Walker, to re-take a four-run lead, 9-5.
Charest would hold down the Gaels over the final two innings to seal the Fordham win, allowing just one hit for his first career save. Thompson (2-0), making his first career start, earned the victory for Fordham, allowing three unearned runs on five hits with a career-high five strikeouts in a career-long five innings of work.
At the plate, Martinez was 3-for-5 with two runs scored, while Maghini was 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Kownacki also had a pair of hits, with McSherry driving in two runs.
The Fordham baseball team will next be in action on Friday, April 22nd, as the team opens a three-game Atlantic 10 series at Charlotte, beginning at 6:00 PM.
