March 20, 2013

Bronx, N.Y. - The Fordham Rams look to end their early season homestand on a high note on Wednesday, when the Rams host the Hofstra Pride at Houlihan Park. Fordham has played 13 of the last 14 games at home, posting a 9-4 mark, and are coming off the inaugural Frankie Frisch Invitational, where Fordham went 2-1.

This will be the 70th all-time meeting between Fordham and Hofstra. The Rams have a 46-23 edge in the series winning, but Hofstra has won four of the last six meetings, which included a 14-9 win last year.

PROBABLE STARTERS:
Fordham - RHP John Porter (1-0) vs. Hofstra - RHP Michael Isom (0-0) | | Watch

SCOUTING HOFSTRA: The Pride are 4-14 on the season with an 0-6 mark in the Colonial Athletic Association. Hofstra is batting .258 as a team with a 7.36 team ERA.

Kenny Jackson leads the offense with a .338 batting average, 13 runs scored, three home runs, and seven RBI. Jared Hammer is also batting over .300 with a team-high 12 RBI. On the hill, Hofstra's probable starter is righthander Michael Isom. Isom has yet to pitch in a game this season. Isom is a transfer from the College of the Sequoias.

GALIANO NAMED A-10 ROOKIE OF THE WEEK (3/18): Fordham University freshman catcher Charles Galiano (Dix Hills, N.Y./Commack) was named Atlantic 10 Baseball Rookie of the Week, today by the conference office. It is his first career weekly honor, and marks the second time this season that a Fordham freshman has received Rookie of the Week honors. Brett Kennedy did so on March 6th.

Galiano had an incredible week, hitting .588 (10-17) with six runs scored, four triples, and five RBI. He posted a .619 on-base percentage with a 1.118 slugging percentage.

Galiano recorded his first career four-hit game on Wednesday against New York Tech with a 4-for-4 outing. He was then 3-for-4 with three runs scored and two triples on Friday against NJIT in the first game of the Frankie Frisch Invitational, becoming the first Ram to have two triples in the same game since Kevin Brush in 2003 against Temple. He recorded his third multi-hit game of the week on Sunday versus Saint Peter's, going 2-for-4 with two runs scored, two RBI, and his fourth triple of the week.

For the season, Galiano is hitting .347 with 11 runs scored, three doubles, five triples, and 11 RBI.

LAST TIME OUT: The final game of the Frankie Frisch Invitational saw the Fordham Rams outlast Saint Peter's, 8-5.

After trading runs in the third inning, Saint Peter's pulled ahead in the fourth at 2-1, but Fordham answered with a four-run outburst in the bottom of the frame to grab a 5-2 lead. The Rams took advantage of two walks, a hit by pitch, two wild pitches and a balk to tie the game, which was followed by a two-run triple by Charles Galiano. After another hit by pitch, Galiano made it a three-run game, scoring on an infield single by Ian Edmiston.

The Peacocks tied the game in the top of the fifth on a two-run triple by Matt Speckmann and an RBI-single from Farrell, which chased Fordham starter Joseph Serrapica from the game after 4.2 innings of work, allowing four earned runs on eight hits and three walks.

Fordham battled back to take an 8-5 lead by the bottom of the seventh, scoring twice in the sixth and one in the seventh. The sixth inning saw Galiano get hit by a pitch and score an RBI-triple from Ryan McNally to the left field corner, with McNally later scoring on a wild pitch. The seventh inning then repeated the same scoring, as Tim Swatek hit his second triple of the game and scored on a wild pitch.

Fordham reliever Brett Kennedy (2-1) kept the Peacocks off the scoreboard for the final four innings to earn the win, allowing just two hits and striking out six.

At the plate, Galiano was 2-for-4 with a triple, two runs scored and two RBI, while Swatek was 2-for-4 with two triples, two runs scored and an RBI.

UPCOMING GAMES: The Rams will travel to Philadelphia this weekend to open conference play at La Salle, beginning at 3:00 PM.