Baseball to Host Wagner on Wednesday

Bronx, N.Y. – (March 13, 2018) – Winners of three straight and five of its last six games, the Fordham baseball team is back at home on Wednesday afternoon, when the Rams host the Wagner College Seahawks at Houlihan Park, beginning at 2:00 PM.
 
Probable Starters/Game Coverage
Fordham – RHP Brian Weissert (0-0, 0.00) vs. Wagner - RHP Pat Gallagher (0-2, 22.50) // Live Video | Live Stats | Twitter - @FordhamBaseball

Series History: This will be the 68^th all-time meeting between the Rams and the Seahawks, a series that began in 1947.  Fordham leads the series at 50-17, with the two teams playing last in 2016.  Fordham swept a doubleheader from Wagner by scores of 6-5 in eight innings and 4-3 in 11 innings.
 
Last Time Out: Behind a ten-run outburst in game one and a superb pitching performance by Reiss Knehr in game two, the Fordham Rams swept a baseball doubleheader against Coppin State by scores of 10-8 and 4-1 at the Bachman Sports Complex in Glen Burnie, Maryland.

With the game tied at seven in game one, Fordham rallied for three runs in the seventh for a 10-7 lead.  Matt Tarabek drew a one-out walk, and one out later scored on a double by Justin Bardwell.   After moving to third on a wild pitch, Bardwell scored on a bunt single by Brian Goulard.  Goulard then moved to second on a single by Vazquez, and to third on a wild pitch.  Nico Doria followed with a double down the left field line, scoring Goulard.
 
Coppin State cut the Fordham lead to 10-8 in the bottom of the seventh, but did not get closer, as Fordham's Kyle Martin tossed two innings of hitless relief to earn his second save of the season.  Anthony DiMeglio (1-0) earned his first win of the year in relief, throwing 1.1 innings, allowing one run with two strikeouts.  At the plate, Goulard was 3-for-5 with a double, two runs scored, and two RBI, while C.J. Vazquez was 3-for-4 with an RBI.  Godrick, Tarabek, and Doria each went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, and an RBI.
 
In game two, the Rams topped the Eagles, 4-1, in a seven-inning contest.
 
Fordham again plated the opening run of the ball game, scoring once in the second inning.  Bardwell drew a leadoff walk, moved to second on a wild pitch, and scored on a double by Godrick.  The Rams then rallied for three runs in the fifth, extending the lead to 4-0.  Jake MacKenzie got the rally started with a single.  He then stole second, moved to third on an error, and scored on a balk.  Melendez then walked and scored on a triple by Tarabek.  Nick Labella followed with an RBI-double to center to score Tarabek.
 
That was more than enough for Fordham starter Reiss Knehr (2-1), who allowed just one unearned run on two errors in the bottom of the fifth in a seven-inning complete game win.  He gave up just one hit in the game and struck out a season-high nine batters.  At the dish, Melendez was 2-for-3 with a run scored and two stolen bases, while Tarabek was 2-for-4 with a triple, an RBI, and a stolen base.

 
Bardwell Named to Johnny Bench Award Watch List (3/6): The Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission announced the official watch list for the 2018 Johnny Bench Award presented by BaseballSavings.com on March 6^th, as Fordham catcher Justin Bardwell was one of ninety-seven catchers to be nominated for the award by their coaches.
 
This is the second straight year that Bardwell has made the initial list for the Johnny Bench Award. 
Bardwell is in his third season as the Rams' starting catcher.  Over his first two seasons, Bardwell has started 91 games behind the plate, totaling 22 doubles and 52 RBI.  This year, he has started 11 of 13 games behind the plate, registering a team-high eight RBI.  Defensively, Bardwell is one of the better catchers in the Atlantic 10, throwing out 46 potential base stealers since joining the Rams, good for a 37% clip.
 
He's Going, He's Going: A popular phrase heard at Fordham's Houlihan Park at any Rams' home game is "He's going, he's going!"  That phrase has certainly been true through the first 13 games of the 2018 season.  In 2017, Fordham had just seven stolen bases through the first 13 games.  This year, the Rams have 42 swipes, which ranks fourth in the country.  Individually, nine Rams have at least one stolen bases this season, led by Alvin Melendez with 10, which ranks eighth in the country.
 
Who's Next: The Rams will host their first weekend series at Houlihan Park, starting on Saturday, March 17^th when Fordham hosts Cornell for a noon doubleheader with a single game at noon on Sunday.