Harrisonburg, Va. – (March 1, 2018) – After a 2-2 week, the Fordham baseball team is back in action this weekend, as the Rams travel to Harrisonburg, Virginia, to meet the James Madison Dukes for a three-game series. Fordham enters the series at 3-3-1 on the year, while James Madison is 6-2.
Probable Starters/Game Coverage
Friday – Fordham - RHP
Ben Greenberg (1-0, 0.00) vs. JMU – LHP Colton Harlow (1-0, 2.25) //
Live Stats |
Live Audio |
Twitter - @FordhamBaseball
Saturday – Fordham – RHP
Reiss Knehr (0-1, 7.50) vs. JMU - RHP Dan Goggin (2-0, 1.64) //
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Twitter - @FordhamBaseball
Sunday – Fordham - RHP
Mike Cowell (0-1, 6.35) vs. JMU - RHP Nick Stewart (2-0, 2.79) //
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Live Audio |
Twitter - @FordhamBaseball
Series History
The Rams and Dukes have only met five times previously with the last coming in 2004. James Madison holds a 3-2 lead in those five games. The first meet came in the ECAC District II playoffs in 1978 with Fordham coming away with a 3-1 win. JMU took the next meeting in 2000 down in Myrtle Beach, SC, and then snagged two of three games at James Madison in 2004.
Last Time Out
USF's J.D. Dutka had a home run and four RBI, while Graham Hoffman drove in three runs, as the Bulls earned a 13-4 win over the Fordham Rams in the rubber game of their three-game series on Sunday at USF Baseball Stadium.
Fordham struck early with single runs in the first and second inning to lead by a 2-0 score. In the first,
Jake Baker singled to left center to start the game and moved to second when
Billy Godrick was hit by a pitch. After a sacrifice by
Alvin Melendez moved the runners up a base,
Justin Bardwell singled through the left side to plate Baker. The following inning,
Jake MacKenzie tripled to right center with one out and scored on a ground out by
Brian Goulard.
However, the Bulls found their offensive groove in the third inning, scoring five times, highlighted by a three-run home run by J.D. Dutka for a 5-2 lead. USF then scored three more times in the fourth to extend the lead to 8-2.
The score remained that way until the eighth when Fordham cut the lead in half to 8-4.
Justin Machado and Goulard both drew walks, and then scored on a two-run double down the left field line by
C.J. Vazquez. USF though would get five runs in the bottom half of the eighth to seal up a 13-4 win.
For Fordham,
Mike Cowell (0-1) took the loss, allowing three runs on three hits over 2.2 innings with three strikeouts, as the Rams used eight pitchers in the game. At the plate, Bardwell was 2-for-3 with an RBI, while Baker was 2-for-5 with a run scored. Vazquez finished 1-for-3 with a double and two RBI, with Goulard finishing 1-for-2 with an RBI, a runs scored, and two walks.
Anthony DiMeglio
Familiar Face
Fordham baseball will see a familiar face in the opposing dugout this weekend in James Madison's pitching coach
Jimmy Jackson. Jackson served as the Fordham pitching coach from 2012-15, under head coach
Kevin Leighton.
Pitching Rules Opening Weekend
Fordham went 1-1-1 on opening weekend, playing a pair of extra inning affairs. The Fordham pitching staff was the story, racking up 43 strikeouts in three games, and holding opponents to a .202 average. Through the first two NCAA statistics report, Fordham is tenth in the country in strikeouts per nine innings (11.3), while individually
Anthony DiMeglio is ninth nationally in strikeouts per nine innings (16.71) and 17
th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (13.00).
Who's Next
The Rams continued to be on the road next week as Fordham is at LIU Brooklyn on Wednesday, March 7
th and then at Coppin State for a three-game set, March 10-11.
