Bronx, N.Y. – La Salle's Chase Arnold connected on an RBI-triple in the top of the tenth inning, while Austin Constantini kept Fordham off the scoreboard in the bottom of the inning, as the Explorers edged the Fordham Rams, 7-6, in 10 innings at Houlihan Park on Saturday.
With the loss, Fordham falls to 9-12 overall, 1-3 in the league, while La Salle improved to 4-18 on the year, 1-3 in the league.
La Salle got on the board right away in the first inning. Austin Constantini led off the game by hitting a high fly ball to right, which Fordham outfielder
Jake Baker dropped, allowing Constantini to reach third. He later scored on a sacrifice fly by Rafael Amanau.
Fordham bounced back to take a 2-1 lead in the third inning.
Mark Donadio and
Matt Tarabek started the frame with back-to-back singles. After a strikeout,
Billy Godrick beat out a possible double play to reach first on a fielder's choice. On the play, Donadio was aggressive on the basepaths, as he scored from second on the play. Godrick then stole second and scored on a double by
Jason Lundy.
La Salle knotted the game at two on a pair of doubles in the fourth, and then re-took the lead at 3-2 in the top of the fifth on another Fordham error.
Mark Donadio had two hits and two RBI on Saturday.
The Rams responded with a four-run fifth inning to grab a 6-3 lead. Fordham loaded the bases on three straight singles by Lundy, Baker and
Matthew Kozuch.
Reiss Knehr tied the game at three with a sacrifice fly, scoring Lundy. One out later, Donadio connected on a two-run double, scoring both Baker and Kozuch, giving the lead back to Fordham. Tarabek then capped the inning with an RBI-single to center, making it a 6-3 ballgame.
The Explorers would not go away however, scoring twice in the seventh and once in the eighth to knot the game at six and force extra innings. In the tenth, La Salle went back ahead 7-6, as Kevin McGowan singled to start the inning and came around to score on an RBI-triple by Chase Arnold.
Fordham had a chance to tie in the bottom of the frame, as the Rams got a runner to third with two outs, but
Brian Goulard grounded out to the pitcher to end the game.
For Fordham, Lundy was 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI, while Donadio was 2-for-5 with a double, two runs scored, and two RBI. Tarabek also had a pair of hits and an RBI.
Kyle Martin (3-1) took the loss in relief, allowing one run on two hits with three strikeouts over two innings.
Mike Cowell took a no-decision giving up three earned runs on five hits over 6.1 innings with four strikeouts.
Brandon Martin also threw 1.2 innings of relief, giving up a run on three hits.
The same two teams will wrap up their series with a doubleheader at noon on Sunday at Houlihan Park.
