Davidson's Clark Beeker scattered seven hits over eight innings, while Ryan Lowe's two-run home run in the ninth added some insurance, as the Wildcats edged out the Fordham Rams, 5-3, at Houlihan Park on Friday in the first-ever meeting between the two teams.
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With the loss, Fordham falls to 10-20 overall, 2-5 in the Atlantic 10, while Davidson improved to 15-13 overall, 5-5 in the league.
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Davidson jumped out to the 3-0 lead by the fourth inning. The Wildcats scored the first run of the game in the third on an RBI-single by Lee Miller, and then followed with two runs in the fourth on a two-run double by Sam Foy.
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Fordham got on the board in the fifth, as
Ryan McNally tripled to center field with one out, and came home on a ground ball by
Joseph Runco.
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The score remained at 3-1 until the ninth, where Ryan Lowe connected on a two-run home run to center to give Davidson a 5-3 lead.
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The Rams tried to rally in the ninth, as
Matthew Kozuch led off with a single up the middle.Â
Charles Galiano then connected on a two-run home run to center, his fifth of the year, making it a 5-3 game. After a pair of outs,
Ian Edmiston kept the Rams' hope alive with a double to left center, extending his career-best hit streak to ten games. However, the rally stopped there, as Davidson reliever Matt Saeta got
Joseph DeVito to ground out to third to end the game.
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Clark Beeker improved to 3-2 on the year, as he gave up three runs on seven hits over eight innings for the Wildcats, while Saeta recorded his first save of the year.
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Fordham starter
Greg Weissert fell to 2-4 on the year, allowing three runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts over six innings of work.Â
Jimmy Murphy and
David Manasek each pitched a scoreless inning of relief, while
Joseph Serrapica allowed two runs in his one inning of work.
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At the plate, Kozuch was 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored, while Galiano was 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI.
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The same two teams will play game two of this series at 2:00 PM on Saturday.
