Baseball Sweeps Extra-Inning Doubleheader from Wagner

Staten Island, N.Y. – After a dropping a tight affair to Wagner on Friday, the Fordham baseball team returned the favor on Saturday, topping the Seahawks in two extra-inning affairs, 6-5 in eight innings and 4-3 in 11 innings, at the Richmond County Ballpark on Staten Island.
 
With the doubleheader sweep, Fordham improved to 8-11 on the year, while Wagner fell to 4-9.
 
Game one began with Wagner taking a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning.  Trey Nicosia had an RBI-double to plate the first run, while Kyle Brey had an RBI-infield single for the second.
 
Fordham answered with a five-run fifth inning to take a 5-2 lead.  With one out, Joseph DeVito and Jason Lundy connected on back-to-back singles to put runners at the corners.  Joseph Runco then singled to right, plating DeVito for the Rams' first run.  The runners advanced on a wild pitch with Fordham loading the bases when Ian Edmiston was hit by a pitch.  Matthew Kozuch followed with an RBI-groundout to first, knotting the game at two.
 
The next batter, Ryan McNally, drilled a two-run double to left, scoring Runco and Edmiston for a 4-2 edge.  Fordham then capped the scoring with an RBI-single by Justin Bardwell to score McNally and make it a 5-2 game.
 
Wagner then rallied for three runs in the bottom of the seventh to knot the game at five.  With two on and two out, Ben Ruta singled to the right side for a run, making it a 5-3 game.  Anthony Harrold then hit a grounder to first, which went right through Kozuch for an error, allowing both runners to score and tie the game, pushing the game into extra innings.

 
In the eighth, McNally put Fordham back on top, as he took the first pitch from reliever Cory Heitler deep to right center.  The ball went off the outstretched glove of centerfielder Nicosia for a triple with Nicosia crashing face first into the wall.  The throw in to third got away from the third baseman Sean Mazzio and McNally took off for home.  Mazzio's throw however was errant, allowing McNally to score.
 
Wagner tried to tie the game in the bottom of the eighth, getting the tying run on base with a two-out single, but Anthony DiMeglio was able to get the final out and close out the 6-5 win.
 
DiMeglio (1-0) earned his first career win, allowing one hit over 1.1 innings of relief with a strikeout.  Starter Jimmy Murphy got a no-decision as he went the first 6.2 innings, allowing three earned runs on eight hits with five strikeouts. At the plate, McNally was a home run short of the cycle, going 3-for-4 with a double, a triple, two runs scored, and two RBI.
 
In game two, Fordham jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning.  The Rams loaded the bases and got an RBI-single from Bardwell to put Fordham on top.
 
The Rams added to the lead in the third, benefitting from another Wagner error.  McNally reached on an error and moved to third on a couple of passed balls.  DeVito then ripped a two-out single to left, scoring McNally, for a 2-0 lead.

 

Wagner got on the board in the fifth, scoring three times for a 3-2 lead.  The Seahawks scored runs on a bases loaded walk, a sacrifice fly, and a wild pitch.
 
Fordham would rally in the eighth inning to tie the game at three.  With one out, Bardwell tripled down the right field line, and after a strikeout, Lundy hit a ground ball to shortstop, which went right through the legs of Nick Mascelli, allowing Bardwell to score.
 
For the second time today, the game headed into extra innings, when in the 11^th inning, Fordham took a 4-3 lead.  Runco laced a one-out double to right center, while Edmiston drew a walk.  Following a pitching change, Runco and Edmiston pulled off a double steal to put runners at second and third.  Reliever Paul Mammino would strike out Kozuch, but he would walk McNally.  The final pitch to McNally was in the dirt and went to the backstop, allowing Runco to score from third on a wild pitch.
 
Reliever Kirk Haynes, Jr. then finished off a masterful performance with a perfect bottom half of the inning to earn his first win of the season.   Haynes allowed just one hit and one walk over seven innings of relief with seven strikeouts.  Starter Joseph Serrapica went four-plus innings, allowing three runs on four hits and four walks with five strikeouts.  At the plate, Runco was 2-for-6 with two doubles, a stolen base, and a run scored, while Bardwell was 2-for-4 with a triple and an RBI.
 
The Fordham baseball team will next be in action on Wednesday, March 23^rd, when the Rams play at NYIT, beginning at 3:30 PM.