Baseball Travels to Rhode Island for Atlantic 10 Series This Weekend

Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham baseball team looks to get back on winning track this weekend, as the Rams take part in the "Battle of the Rams" for the second straight week, this time facing the Rhode Island Rams at Bill Beck Field in Kingston, Rhode Island.
 
Fordham has dropped six straight contests, falling a game under the .500 mark at 18-19 overall with a 7-7 record in the Atlantic 10.  This weekend will be no easy task with Rhode Island, the defending Atlantic 10 champion, who sits in second place in the conference at 10-4 with a 22-16 overall record.
 
PROBABLE STARTERS/GAME COVERAGE
Friday – RHP Mike Cowell (0-3, 5.05) vs. RHP Taso Stathopoulos (1-1, 4.35) // Live Audio (URI) | Live Stats | Follow on Twitter @FordhamBaseball
Saturday – RHP Jimmy Murphy (4-5, 2.59) vs. RHP Matt Murphy (4-2, 3.49) // Live Audio (URI) | Live Stats | Follow on Twitter @FordhamBaseball
Sunday – RHP Reiss Knehr (3-3, 3.44) vs. RHP Vitaly Jangols (5-1, 0.88) // Live Audio (URI) | Live Stats | Follow on Twitter @FordhamBaseball
 
SERIES HISTORY: Fordham and Rhode Island have met each other 59 times previously, with URI getting the better of the "Battle of the Rams" with a slim 30-29 series edge.  The series dates back to 1913, but almost all the meetings (three to be exact) have come as members of the Atlantic 10.  Last season, the two teams split four contests, all of which came at Houlihan Park.  Fordham earned a series win over Rhode Island during the regular season, while URI won the Atlantic 10 Championship contest on day two of the tournament.
 
LAST TIME OUT: In the first meeting between the two teams since 1985, Yale recorded 16 hits off Fordham pitching and had a five-run rally in the sixth inning, leading the Bulldogs to an 8-4 victory over the Rams at Houlihan Park on Wednesday night.
 
Yale got on the board right away in the first inning on an RBI-ground out by Richard Slenker, scoring Simon Whiteman, who reached on a double and moved to third on a wild pitch.  Slenker then increased the lead to 3-0 in the second with a two-run to left with the bases loaded.
 
Fordham pulled within 3-2 in the bottom of the fifth.  Alvin Melendez reached on an infield single to start the inning and stole second.  Jason Lundy then drew a 13-pitch walk to put runners at first and second.  After a sacrifice bunt by Pat Gardner, Matthew Kozuch reached on an infield single, scoring Melendez from third.  Jake Baker then was called safe for a bunt single, which scoring Lundy from third to make it, 3-2.
 
Yale would bounce back the following inning with a five-run rally to pull out to an 8-2 lead, highlighted by a two-run double by Tim DeGraw.
 
The Rams made it 8-4 by the eighth inning, as Lundy connected on a solo home run to left in the bottom of the sixth, his team-leading fourth of the season, while Ryan Jennings had a pinch-hit RBI-single in the eighth to score Luke Stampfl, who reached on a double.

 
Fordham however would not get any closer, as the Rams left eight runners on base in the game.
 
For Fordham, Baker was 3-for-5 with an RBI, while Lundy was 1-for-2 with a home run and two runs scored.  Starter Marc Bisogno (0-1) took the loss, allowing one run on three hits in one inning of work.  A total of nine pitchers threw for Fordham with Brian Weissert posting the longest outing with two innings of one-hit relief.  Anthony DiMeglio and Jake Bernardo also threw one inning of scoreless relief on the night.
 
WHO'S HOT: Senior Mark Donadio is hitting .395 over his last 12 games with five runs scored, five doubles, three stolen bases, and a .489 on-base percentage, and now sits eight hits shy of 200 for his career… Sophomore Justin Bardwell is batting .294 in his last 12 games with five runs scored, four doubles, a home run, and eight RBI… Freshman Alvin Melendez is hitting .333 in his last nine games with five runs scored, and a .429 on-base percentage… Freshman Kyle Martin is 2-0 with a save and a 2.61 ERA, while over his last 10.1 innings he has 17 strikeouts and a .179 opponent batting average… Graduate student Jimmy Murphy is 2-1 in his last three starts with a 1.64 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 22 innings.
 
WHO'S NEXT: Following this series, Fordham travels to Hofstra for a mid-week contest on Tuesday, May 2^nd, before hosting LIU Brooklyn for a three-game series next weekend, May 5-7, at Houlihan Park.  The Rams will celebrate Alumni Day on May 6^th by honoring the 1987 MAAC & ECAC Championship team.