March 15, 2012
Strike Out Cancer Tournament Game Notes
South Orange, N.J. - For the second straight season, the Fordham baseball team will take part in Seton Hall's Strike Out Cancer Tournament at Owen T. Carroll Field this weekend. The Rams will play the host Pirates on Friday, and then have back-to-back games against the Maine Black Bears on Saturday and Sunday. Note: The Friday game with Seton Hall has been pushed back to a 1:00 PM start.
It will be a homecoming of sorts for Fordham head coach Kevin Leighton, who starred at Seton Hall from 1998-2001.
Fordham has a long series history with both squads. Based on available records, this will be the 71st meeting between Seton Hall and Fordham with the Pirates holding a 37-31-2 edge. Seton Hall has also won the last five meetings. For Maine, it'll be the 15th and 16th meeting with the Black Bears holding an 8-6 advantage.
PROBABLE STARTERS:
Friday - Fordham - RHP Daniel Munday (1-0) vs. Seton Hall - RHP Jon Prosinski (2-2) | Live Stats
Saturday - Fordham - RHP Chris Pike (1-0) vs. Maine - TBA | 
Sunday - Fordham - RHP Joseph Charest (0-4) vs. Maine - TBA |
SCOUTING SETON HALL: The Pirates are 6-9 on the season, and coming off a 1-2 weekend at the Snowbird Classic in Port Charlotte, Florida. The Pirates topped Akron, 3-2, while falling to Michigan State, 4-3 in 15 innings, and Miami (OH), 7-5.
The offense is led by Kyle Grimm, who is batting a team-best .358 with two doubles, and seven RBI. Mike Genovese leads the squad with nine RBI to go with 10 runs scored, while Will Walsh is the Pirates' leader in runs scored (11) and stolen bases (7).
On the hill, the Pirates will go to RHP Jon Prosinski. He is 2-2 in four starts with a 5.24 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 22.1 innings pitched. Out of the bullpen, three different Pirates have at least one save with Ryan Harvey having two. Benny Mejia has been strong in middle relief, posting a 0.84 ERA in six appearances.
SCOUTING MAINE: The Black Bears are 5-8 on the season, after splitting four games at the Winter Haven Baseball Tournament. Maine defeated Western Michigan (13-7) and Bowling Green (6-1), while falling to Illinois St. (7-1) and Fairfield (8-4).
Offensively, Colin Gay is the team's leading hitter at .370 with eight runs scored and six RBI. Michael Fransoso is also over the .300 mark at .340 with nine runs scored, while Alex Calbick has the team lead in RBI at 10.
On the hill, seven different pitchers have started a game for Maine. The Black Bears will likely throw the trio of Steve Perakslis, Shaun Coughlin, and Jeff Gibbs.
WE'RE GOIN' STREAKIN': Senior Stephen McSherry had a career-long seven-game hit streak snapped on Tuesday. Over his last eight games, he is hitting .379 with three doubles and five runs scored... After beginning the season 0-for-14 and dealing with an injury, freshman Matthew Cianci turned things around, hitting .310 over his last seven games with eight runs scored and four stolen bases... Sophomore Tim Swatek also turned a corner at FIU connecting for two home runs and three RBI in the Rams' three-game series... Ryan Maghini is batting .323 over his last eight games with three doubles and six RBI, while Brian Kownacki is also hitting .300 over his last eight games with six runs scored and six RBI... Starter Chris Pike struck out a career-high 12 batters in his last start at FIU on Saturday... Rich Anastasi tied his career-high with seven strikeouts at FAU on Tuesday.
UPCOMING GAMES: The Rams come back home on Tuesday, March 20th to start a five-game homestand against Stony Brook. Fordham will also face Marist on Wednesday and then open Atlantic 10 play against Massachusetts over the weekend.
