Baseball Comeback Falls Short Against #26 Illinois

The Fordham Rams were primed for the upset, rallying from three runs down in the ninth inning to tie the game at six against #26 Illinois.  However, Jason Goldstein scored on a wild pitch in the bottom half of the ninth, as the Fighting Illini escaped with a 7-6 win over the Rams at Swanson Stadium in Fort Myers, Fla.
 
With the loss, Fordham drops to 1-4, while Illinois improved to 6-0.
 
Illinois opened the scoring with a pair of runs in the first and second innings for a 4-0 lead.  In the first inning, the Illini got RBI-singles from Reid Roper and Ryan Nagle, while the second inning saw an RBI-single from Adam Walton and a sacrifice fly by Will Krug.
 
The score remained that way until the fifth, when Fordham cashed in on a bases loaded situation.  Jason Lundy started the rally with a one-out single to center.  Joseph DeVito was then hit by a pitch, and followed by a single up the middle from Joseph Runco.  Matthew Kozuch then cleared the bases with a double down the right field line to make it a 4-3 game.
 
Illinois got one of those runs back in the bottom half of the fifth, as Casey Fletcher came through with a two-out RBI-single to score Roper from second.
 
Roper was at the heart of extending the lead back to three in the seventh, as he doubled to right center, stole third, and scored on a sacrifice fly to left by Goldstein.
 
Fordham still had a rally left in them, scoring three times in the ninth to tie the game at six.  With one out, pinch-hitter Ryan Mahoney singled through the right side, while Runco drew a walk.  Kozuch came through in the clutch again with a two-run double to right to pull Fordham within one.  After a pitching change, Galiano hit a ground ball to the pitcher, who threw the ball away, allowing Kozuch to score and knot the game at six.

 
Illinois however would not be denied, as Goldstein was hit by a pitch, followed by a Nagle double to put runners at second and third with one out.  After an intentional walk, Pat McInerney was hit by a pitch to force in the winning run.
 
It was a bittersweet ending for Fordham relief pitcher Greg Weissert, who took the loss, while setting a career-high with seven strikeouts over 3.2 innings of work.  Starter Jimmy Murphy went the first four innings, allowing three earned runs on five hits with four strikeouts.
 
At the plate, Kozuch had his first career three-hit game, going 3-for-5, with two doubles, a run scored, a stolen base, and a career-high five RBI.  Runco was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and a stolen base, while Mark Donadio was 3-for-5.
 
The Rams conclude their stay in Fort Myers with an 11:00 AM contest against FGCU on Sunday.