Baseball Travels To UMass Lowell This Weekend

Bronx, N.Y. – (April 26, 2019) – The Fordham baseball team continues its nine-game road swing this weekend in Massachusetts, as the Rams travel to Massachusetts Lowell for a three-game series.  The two teams will play a noon doubleheader on Saturday and a single game at noon on Sunday.
 
Fordham (25-18) started off the road swing with a pair of wins earlier this week, posting a 22-10 win over Fairleigh Dickinson in eight innings on Tuesday, while topping Saint Peter's, 8-5, in 10 innings.  Massachusetts Lowell (9-29) enters the week, having lost three straight contests and 10 of the last 13.
 
PROBABLE STARTERS/GAME COVERAGE
Saturday (G1): Fordham – LHP Matt Mikulski (4-5, 4.02) vs. UML – RHP Nick Rand (3-5, 4.87) // Live Video | Live Stats | Twitter - @FordhamBaseball
 
Saturday (G2): Fordham – RHP Cory Wall (2-0, 2.70) vs. UML – RHP Connor Metelski (2-5, 9.73) // Live Video | Live Stats | Twitter - @FordhamBaseball
 
Sunday: Fordham – RHP Anthony DiMeglio (3-3, 3.24) vs. UML – RHP Henry Funaro (0-3, 11.91) // Live Video | Live Stats | Twitter - @FordhamBaseball
 
SERIES HISTORY: The Rams and Riverhawks have only met once before, which came back on March 17, 2015, when Fordham came away with a 6-5 win.  The two teams were slated to play a three-game series back in 2017, but the series was washed out due to rain.
 
LAST TIME OUT (4/24): Fordham scored three times in the top of the tenth inning, while Alvin Melendez got the final three outs, as the Rams topped the Saint Peter's Peacocks, 8-5, in ten innings at Jaroschak Field in New Jersey.
 
The game was scoreless until the sixth inning, when Fordham plated four runs for a 4-0 lead.  Matt Tarabek led off with a single followed by a walk to Jake MacKenzie.  Justin Bardwell then ripped an RBI-double to score Tarabek for a 1-0 lead.  After an error loaded the bases, Alvin Melendez punched a two-run double to score MacKenzie and Bardwell, with Nick Labella moving to third.  Jack Harnisch capped the scoring with an RBI-single to right to score Labella.
 
Fordham tacked on a fifth run in the ninth when Billy Godrick doubled to left, stole third, and scored on an infield single by Tarabek.
 
Saint Peter's though put together a ninth inning rally, scoring five times to tie the game at five and force extra innings.  Highlighting the rally was a three-run home run by Peter Ferony, his first of the year.
 
The Rams answered back in the tenth with a three-run push for an 8-5 lead.  Jake Baker started the tenth with a walk and scored on a double to center by Labella.  After a bunt single by Melendez put runners at the corners, Andy Semo laid down the safety squeeze bunt to score Labella from third.  The final run of the inning came in on an error.
 
Melendez, who came in to pitch in the eighth and went back to the outfield in the ninth, returned to the mound in the tenth to get the final three outs for his first save of the season.  He finished 2-for-4 at the plate with a double and two RBI, while tossing two scoreless innings on the mound.
 
Besides Melendez, Bardwell was 2-for-3 with two doubles and an RBI, as he moved past Pete DeLuca for second on Fordham's all-time doubles list with 53, while Tarabek was 2-for-5 with an RBI, extending his hit streak to eight games.

 
WE'RE GOIN' STREAKIN': Sophomore Jake MacKenzie enters the weekend on an 11-game hitting streak, batting .311 over that stretch with six runs scored, three doubles, two home runs, six RBI, and six stolen bases… Junior Matt Tarabek is on an eight-game hit streak, hitting .529 over that stretch with nine runs scored, six doubles, and 10 RBI… During the month of April, freshman Jason Coules is batting .382 with five runs scored, six stolen bases and four RBI… Junior Alvin Melendez has a 0.75 ERA and one save in five April appearances, posting 15 strikeouts in 12 innings… Seniors Anthony Zimmerman and Anthony DiMeglio both have a 2-1 record in April with Zimmerman having a 1.74 ERA and 19 strikeouts, while DiMeglio has a 2.84 ERA with 20 strikeouts.
 
RAMS IN THE NCAA RANKINGS (4/25): Entering this weekend, the Fordham Rams currently rank among the top 15 nationally in a number of categories.  Fordham is first in the nation in stolen bases per game at 2.91, as well as in overall in swipes with 125.  The Rams are also 11th in the nation in team ERA with an Atlantic 10-best mark of 3.15, 15^th in hits allowed per nine innings (7.32), and 14^th in strikeouts per nine innings (10.0).  Individually, Jake MacKenzie is second in the nation in stolen bases (34) and fourth in triples (6), while John Stankiewicz is sixth in ERA (1.11) and eighth in WHIP (0.81).
 
CLOSING IN ON MILESTONES: A number of Rams are closing in on some career milestones in the coming games, and here is a quick look:
 
Career Saves – Kyle Martin – 18 (record is 19 by Bobby Aylmer & Jamie Sammut)
Career Doubles – Justin Bardwell – 53 (record is 55 by Greg Smith)
Career RBI – Justin Bardwell – 114 (six shy of 120 – would be the 13^th Ram to reach mark)
Career Triples – Jake MacKenzie – 12 (Danny Leach is third all-time with 13)
Career Stolen Bases – Jake MacKenzie – 68 (two shy of being the eighth Ram to reach 70)
Career Strikeouts – Anthony DiMeglio – 188 (12 shy of being the ninth Ram to reach 200)
 
WHO'S NEXT: The Fordham baseball team continues its road swing at Albany on Tuesday, April 30^th, before returning to league action, May 3-5, at George Mason.