Kingston, R.I. – In an incredible display by both bullpens, the series finale between Fordham and Rhode Island was a classic 14-inning affair at Bill Beck Field in Kingston, R.I. However for fans of the Maroon and White, it did not turn the way they hoped, as Rhode Island's Matt O'Neil hit a grand slam home run in the bottom of the 14
th inning to give URI a 7-3 win and a series sweep.
With the loss, Fordham is now 18-22 overall, 7-10 in the Atlantic 10, while Rhode Island improved to 25-16 on the year, 13-4 in the league.
After getting out of a bases loaded jam and keeping Rhode Island scoreless, Fordham plated the opening runs of the game in the top of the third inning.
Jason Lundy and
Jake Baker started the frame with back-to-back singles and were sacrificed to second and third on a bunt by
Matthew Kozuch.
Luke Stampfl then plated Lundy with a sacrifice fly, while Baker scored on a wild pitch, giving Fordham a 2-0 lead.
Fordham increased the lead to 3-0 in the fifth, taking advantage of a Rhode Island error.
Billy Godrick reached base on an error by the third baseman and stole second to start the inning. After a flyout by Lundy advanced Godrick to third, Baker was hit by a pitch and Kozuch drew a walk to load the bases. Stampfl then plated Godrick with his second sacrifice fly of the game to put Fordham ahead by three.
Rhode Island cut into the Fordham lead in the bottom of the fifth, when Jordan Powell hit a two-run home run to center, his second of the season, making it a 3-2 game.
URI then tied the game at three in the bottom of the sixth, as they loaded the bases and got an infield single by Mike Foley to score Brett McManus from third.
The battle of the bullpens then ensued with Fordham's
Kyle Martin getting out of multiple jams in the seventh and eighth innings, stranding the go-ahead run at third in both innings, thus forcing extra innings. URI's Tyler Barss would match that effort in the top of the tenth, as he got a strikeout with two on and two out to end a Fordham threat.
Fordham reliever
Anthony DiMeglio matched Barss in the bottom of the tenth, getting an inning-ending ground out after a two-out double by Powell. DiMeglio then got out of another bases loaded jam in the 11
th inning, striking out the side to keep the game tied at three.
Kyle Martin
It wasn't until the 14
th inning that the game would be decided, that after a single and two walks, Matt O'Neil hit a fly ball to left that just cleared the wall and out of the reach of Fordham leftfielder
Billy Godrick for a walk-off grand slam home run to put the final at 7-3.
For Fordham, Stampfl was 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI, while Lundy and Godrick both had a hit, a run, and a stolen base.
Brandon Martin (3-1) was the hard luck loser, throwing 2.2 innings of relief with three walks and three strikeouts.
Reiss Knehr threw the first six innings, allowing three runs on five hits with six walks and three strikeouts.
Kyle Martin tossed 2.2 innings of one-hit relief with four strikeouts, while
Anthony DiMeglio allowed two hits and two walks with five strikeouts in two innings of relief.
The Fordham baseball team will next be in action on Tuesday, May 2
nd, when the Rams travel to Hofstra for a 3:00 PM in Hempstead, N.Y.
