Bronx, N.Y. - (April 30, 2013) - 1973 was the last time that Fordham and Manhattan played against each other in football. Forty years later, the 109th baseball edition of the Battle of the Bronx resembled one of those old football games, as Fordham used a nine-run first inning to defeat the Jaspers, 18-12, at Houlihan Park on Tuesday.
The 30 runs scored in the game was the second-most ever in a Fordham-Manhattan game, falling just one shy of the 31 total runs scored in 2003.
After keeping Manhattan (19-24) off the scoreboard in the first, Fordham (16-30) sent 14 batters to the plate in the opening frame, scoring nine times, the most Fordham has scored in an inning this season.
With a runner on third and two outs, Charles Galiano was hit by a pitch and David Judisky drew a walk to load the bases. It was the 18th time Galiano has been hit by a pitch this season, breaking the Fordham single season record of 17, set by Bobby Sprague in 1999. Brendan Maghini then cleared the bases with a double to the left center gap for a 3-0 lead. Sam Careccia followed with an RBI-single to right to put Fordham up 4-0.
Ryan McNally and Joseph DeVito both drew walks to re-load the bases, which Mike Mauri quickly took advantage, ripping a two-run single to center, scoring Careccia and McNally. Fordham then added RBI-singles by both Ian Edmiston and Galiano, as well as one run on an error, to lead by a 9-0 count.
Mike Mauri
Manhattan got back into the game with a six-run third, highlighted by a three-run home run by Joe McClennan.
Fordham added a run in the third on a bases loaded walk to Galiano, which was followed by a three-run fifth inning to take a 13-6 lead. In the fifth, Fordham had the bases loaded for the fourth time in the game, when Careccia delivered a two-run single to center, scoring Joseph Runco and Ryan Phelan. The Rams added the final run of the inning on a wild pitch.
The Jaspers got a run back in the sixth, but the Rams replied with three more runs in the bottom half of the inning, highlighted by an RBI-ground out by Judisky and an RBI-single from Maghini.
Manhattan would not go away though, scoring four runs in the seventh and once in the eighth to pull within, 16-12. Fordham then closed the scoring with two runs in the eighth to clinch the 18-12 win. In the eighth, Judisky had an RBI-single to score Runco from second base, while Careccia had an infield single, which scored Phelan from third.
Fordham reliever Cody Johnson (3-2) earned the win by pitching three innings of four-hit relief, allowing one run with two strikeouts. At the plate, 10 different Rams scored a run in the game, while nine had at least one hit. Maghini led the way, going 3-for-4 with two doubles, two runs scored, and four RBI, while Careccia was 3-for-6 with a career-high four RBI. Mauri and Edmiston also had three hits each in the game with Mauri, Runco, and Phelan each scoring three times.
The Fordham baseball team will next be in action on Friday, May 3rd, when the Rams travel to Amherst, Massachusetts to face the Minutemen at 3:00 PM.
