Bronx, N.Y. – (March 14, 2019) – Having its seven-game win streak snapped on Wednesday, the Fordham baseball team will look to start a new one this weekend at the Towson Round Robin in Maryland. Fordham will take on host Towson on Friday at 3:00 PM and Sunday at 3:00 PM, while taking on Cornell on Saturday at 11:00 AM.
Fordham (10-7) will look to bounce back from Wednesday's 3-2 home loss to Wagner. It was Fordham's first loss at home in six games to start the home schedule. The Rams will rely on the hot hitting of
Jake MacKenzie and
Justin Bardwell to get back on track, as well as the team's overall pitching.
For the month of March, MacKenzie is batting .375 in ten games, while having four doubles, three triples, 11 RBI, nine runs scored and 11 stolen bases. Bardwell also has 11 RBI in that span with a .344 batting average and three doubles. On the mound, the Rams have a 1.91 team ERA in the month of March, holding hitters to a .217 batting average.
PROBABLE STARTERS/GAME COVERAGE:
Friday: Fordham – LHP
Matt Mikulski (1-2, 5.50) vs. Towson - RHP Josh Seils (0-2, 5.74) //
Live Video |
Live Stats |
Twitter - @FordhamBaseball
Saturday: Fordham - RHP
John Stankiewicz (3-0, 1.33) vs. Cornell - RHP Jonathan Zacharias (0-0, 3.68) //
Live Audio |
Live Stats |
Twitter - @FordhamBaseball
Sunday: Fordham – RHP
Alvin Melendez (1-0, 1.84) vs. Towson – LHP Oluwasayo Kintunde (0-1, 6.10) //
Live Video |
Live Stats |
Twitter - @FordhamBaseball
SERIES HISTORY: For Fordham and Towson, this will only be the second and third all-time meetings between the Rams and the Tigers. The lone previous meeting came on March 5, 2011, in Winston Salem, North Carolina, as the Rams toppled the Tiger, 16-9.
In the other match-up, Cornell holds a 12-7 series edge over Fordham, which dates back to 1891. The two teams played a three-game series last season at Houlihan Park with Fordham coming out on top twice. The two teams split a doubleheader by identical scores of 4-3 in 10 innings with Fordham taking the rubber game, 5-3.
LAST TIME OUT (3/13): The Fordham baseball team saw its seven-game win streak come to an end on Wednesday afternoon at Houlihan Park, as the Rams dropped a 3-2 decision to the Wagner Seahawks.
Wagner got on the board right away in the first inning, as Anthony Pecora led off the game with a double, and scored on a single by Will Johnson. Fordham answered back immediately as
Alvin Melendez hit a leadoff home run to left field to start the bottom of the first. It was his first home run of the season.
The score stayed tied until the sixth inning, when Wagner scratched across two runs on a bases loaded walk and an RBI-groundout to make it a 3-1 game.
The Rams cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the eighth.
Jake MacKenzie drew a one-out walk, stole second, and advanced to third on a throwing error. He then scored on a sacrifice fly by
Justin Bardwell, making it 3-2.
Nick Labella then walked to continue the rally, which brought on a pitching change for Wagner. After pinch runner
Terrence Murray stole second, Wagner reliever Nick Robino got
Justin Machado on a strikeout to end the rally.
Robino held Fordham off the scoreboard in the ninth inning, recording the save, while John LaPointe got the win, after he pitched two innings of one-hit relief with three strikeouts.
Jake MacKenzie
Marc Bisogno (0-2) took the loss, allowing two unearned runs in his one inning of work.
Brian Weissert went the first four innings and pitched effectively, giving up one run on three hits and tied a career-high with six strikeouts.
Anthony Zimmerman pitched two innings of scoreless relief, with
Mike Cowell and
Kyle Martin each having one scoreless frame. At the plate, the Rams were limited to five hits in the contest, with Melendez leading the way. He was 2-for-4 with a home run.
FORDHAM TO HOST 2019 ATLANTIC 10 CHAMPIONSHIP: For the fourth time, Fordham's Houlihan Park will serve as the host site for the Atlantic 10 Championship. It will take place May 22nd through May 25th. Previously, the Rams hosted in 2006, 2012, and 2016.
MEN OF STEAL: After leading the nation with a school record 169 stolen bases last season, Fordham has picked up right where they left off in 2019. Through the first 17 games, the Rams have already racked up 52 stolen bases, which is currently second in the country, behind only Southern University with 53.
Jake MacKenzie leads the Rams with 15 swipes thus far, good for third in the nation with
Alvin Melendez right behind him with nine. In all, 13 different Rams have a stolen bases this season.
WHO'S NEXT: Following this weekend, Fordham starts a four-game home stretch on Wednesday, March 20
th with a 3:00 PM game against Manhattan in the annual Battle of the Bronx. The Rams then host St. Bonaventure from March 22-24 to start conference play.
