Baseball Hosts Home Opener on Wednesday with Doubleheader vs. Manhattan

Bronx, N.Y. - After 10 games on the road to start the season, the Fordham baseball team will open its home schedule on Wednesday afternoon with a doubleheader against crosstown rival Manhattan, beginning at 2:00 PM at Houlihan Park.  The Battle of the Bronx doubleheader is scheduled for two seven-inning contests.
 
Probable Starters/Game Coverage:
Game 1 - RHP Brandon Martin (1-0, 0.00) vs. RHP Ryan Takacs (0-1, 21.60) // Live Stats | Live Video | Live Audio
Game 2 – RHP Brian Weissert (0-1, 8.10) vs. RHP Marc Galvan (0-1, 5.40) // Live Stats | Live Video | Live Audio
 
Series History:  The series history between Fordham and Manhattan dates all the way back to 1870 with games all over the Bronx.  Since a match up at Yankee Stadium in 1923, Fordham holds a 78-32-3 record over Manhattan.  However over the last four years, it has been even with each team coming away with three wins each.  Last season, Fordham won the game at Houlihan Park, 12-3, while Manhattan captured the contest at Duchess Stadium by a final of 7-5.
 
Last Time Out: Despite a career-best performance from pitcher Jimmy Murphy, the Fordham Rams could not find their way past Canisius on Sunday, falling by a 2-1 score in 10 innings at Fleming Stadium in Wilson, N.C.
 
Offense was at a premium on Sunday, as the opening run was scored without a hit.  Fordham registered a run in the third inning to take the initial lead at 1-0.  Ryan Mahoney was hit by a pitch to start the inning, and moved to third on an error, which allowed Alvin Melendez to reach first.  After a pop out, Jason Lundy knocked in Mahoney with a sacrifice fly, but the rally stopped there as Melendez was doubled off first on the play, but after Mahoney had scored.
 
The score remained that way until seventh, when Canisius was able to scratch across a run off Fordham pitcher Jimmy Murphy.  The Golden Griffins loaded the bases on two errors and a single, and scored a run on a double play.

 
Fordham had their chances to re-take the lead getting a runner to third in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings, but could not plate the go-ahead run.
 
Canisius would though in the tenth, getting a single, an error, and two wild pitches to go up by a 2-1 score.  The Rams had one more chance, as Canisius committed an error with two outs to give Fordham a chance, but Tyler Smith got Justin Bardwell to ground out to end the game.
 
The extra-inning loss marred an incredible outing by Murphy for Fordham, as he threw a career-long 9.1 innings, allowing one earned run on four hits with a career-high 11 strikeouts.

Rare Company:  Senior Luke Stampfl joined elite company in the Rams' second contest against #21 Long Beach State on February 25th.  The senior shortstop hit for the cycle, going a career-best 5-for-5.  He recorded a triple in the first, a double in the third, a home run in the fifth, and a single in the seventh to register the feat, and then added a single in the ninth for good measure.  Among other Fordham players that have recorded the cycle, the list includes Hall of Famer Frankie Frisch, who did so for the Rams in June 1919 against Villanova.

Who's Next: The Rams continue their nine-game homestand this weekend as Fordham hosts UMass-Lowell for a three-game series, March 11-12.  The two teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday at noon and a single game on Sunday at 1:00 PM.