Baseball Sweeps Twinbill From UMass Lowell & Hofstra

The Fordham baseball team wrapped up its seven-game homestand with a pair of victories on Tuesday, earning wins over UMass Lowell, 6-5, and Hofstra, 7-6, at Houlihan Park.
 
With the wins, Fordham improved to 6-12 overall and finished the homestand at 4-3.
 
In game one, freshman Ben Greenberg threw a season-high eight innings, while Ryan McNally had the game-winning RBI-single in the seventh, as the Rams completed a come-from-behind win over UMass Lowell, 6-5.
 
The Riverhawks took advantage of a Fordham error in the first inning to score a pair of runs.  With runners at first and second, Greenberg tried a pickoff throw to second, which deflected off the runner into centerfield, allowing both runners to advance.  Ian Strom then connected on a two-run single to score both runners.
 
UMass Lowell then made it 5-0 in the second, when Joe Consolmagno hit a three-run home run to right, his first of the season.
 
Fordham got on the board in the second to make it a 5-1 game.  The Rams loaded the bases on singles by Mark Donadio and Charles Galiano and a walk to Ryan Mahoney.  Ryan McNally then plated Donadio from third with a fielder's choice.

 
The Rams closed the gap to 5-2 in the fourth inning, as McNally was hit by a pitch with two outs, and came around to score on a double to right field by Joseph DeVito.
 
Fordham then rallied for three runs in the sixth to knot the game at five all.  The Rams loaded the bases for the second time in the game on singles by Mahoney and DeVito, as well as an error that allowed McNally to reach base.  Jason Lundy then laced a single through the right side to score Mahoney and McNally.  Joseph Runco followed with another single through the right side to score DeVito and tie the game at five.
 
The Rams then took their first lead of the game in the bottom of the seventh.  Mahoney drew a two-out walk and moved to second on a balk.  McNally then singled to left center, scoring Mahoney from second to make it a 6-5 game.
 
After a rough start to the game, Greenberg settled in to pitch a season-long eight innings to go with seven strikeouts to earn his second win of the season, while Joseph Serrapica pitched a scoreless ninth for his second save of the year and seal the win.
 
At the plate, DeVito was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI, while McNally was 1-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBI.  Runco also had a pair of hits and an RBI with Lundy having a pair of RBI.
 
In game two, freshman David Manasek tossed 3.2 innings of three-hit relief with five strikeouts, while Matthew Kozuch drove in four runs, as the Rams hung on for 7-6 win over the Hofstra Pride.
 
Fordham jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first against the Pride.  Runco took the first pitch of the game down the left field line for a single and stole second.  One batter later, Kozuch lined a double down the left field line to score Runco, extending his hit streak to nine games.  Donadio then doubled to the right center gap to score Kozuch, to extend his reached base streak to 17 games.
 
The Rams added to their lead in the second courtesy of another clutch hit from Kozuch.  Lundy drew a one-out walk and moved to second on a single by Runco.  After a ground out advanced the runners, Kozuch looped a single to center to score both runners for a 4-0 lead.
 
Fordham extended the lead to 6-0 in the fourth inning.  Lundy drew a leadoff walk, stole second, and was brought home on a double by Ian Edmiston.  Kozuch then drove in his fourth run of the game with a double to right.
 
Hofstra got on the board in the top of the fifth on an RBI-single by Brad Witkowski to make it a 6-1 game.

 
The Pride then knotted the game in the top of the sixth inning, scoring five times, which ended with a two-run single by Witkowski.
 
Fordham reclaimed the lead in the bottom half of the sixth, scoring a run off an error.  Edmiston led off with a single up the middle and moved to second on a ground out.  After an infield single by Donadio, Galiano hit a sharp ground ball to shortstop, which could not be handled, allowing Edmiston to score from second to make it 7-6.
 
Fordham reliever David Manasek was able to hold onto the lead to record his first collegiate win.  He tossed 3.2 innings of three-hit relief with five strikeouts.  Starter Cody Johnson went the first 5.1 innings, allowing five hits with four strikeouts.
 
At the plate, Kozuch was 3-for-4 with two doubles, two stolen bases, and four RBI, while Runco, Edmiston, and Donadio were all 2-for-5.  Pat Gardner was also 1-for-3 in the game and came up big defensively, throwing out three baserunners.
 
The Fordham baseball team will next be in action on Friday, March 20^th, when the Rams travel to South Orange, New Jersey for the Strike Out Cancer Classic, hosted by Seton Hall.  Fordham will take on Connecticut in game one on Friday, beginning at 1:00 PM.