Lowell, Mass. – (April 27, 2019) – The Fordham baseball team split its doubleheader with the UMass Lowell Riverhawks on Saturday at LeLacheur Park in Lowell, Massachusetts.
With the splt, Fordham is 26-19 on the year, while UMass Lowell is 10-30.
In game one, Fordham's
Jake Baker collected three hits and drove in a career-high four runs, as the Rams defeated the Riverhawks, 9-2.
The Rams opened with a 3-0 lead in the top of the second inning, taking advantage of a UML error. With runners at first and second,
Andy Semo singled to center field with the ball getting by the fielder, allowing two runs to come across with Semo reaching third.
Jake Baker then plated Semo with a sacrifice fly to center.
The Riverhawks responded with a run in the bottom of the second, but Fordham increased the lead in the fourth to 5-1.
Nick Labella and
Alvin Melendez led off with back-to-back singles, which was followed by a bunt single form
Jake Guercio to load the bases. After an out, Baker singled to left to score Labella, but the ball was misplayed, allowing Melendez to score as well.
After a home run by the Riverhawks made it 5-2 in the fifth, the Rams scored once in the sixth on an RBI-single by
Jake MacKenzie and three times in the seventh for a 9-2 edge. In the seventh, Baker had a two-run triple to right center, while
C.J. Vazquez had an RBI-single.
That score held up as the trio of
Matt Mikulski,
John Stankiewicz, and
Brian Weissert held the Riverhawks in check. Mikulski (5-5) got the win, allowing one run on three hits with four strikeouts over three innings, while Stankiewicz also gave up a run over his three innings with five strikeouts. Weissert picked up his first save, closing out the final three innings without allowing a hit to go with two strikeouts.
At the plate, Baker was 3-for-4 with a triple and a career-high four RBI, while Melendez was 3-for-5 with three runs scored and two stolen bases. Labella also went 3-for-5 with two runs scored with Vazquez finishing 2-for-5 with a double, a run scored, an RBI, and two stolen bases.
In game two, Connor Metelski threw a complete game, five-hitter to lead the Riverhawks to an 8-2 win in seven innings.
Alvin Melendez
Fordham struck first in the second, as the Rams loaded the bases on singles by Labella, Melendez, and
Billy Godrick. Baker then lifted a fly ball to shallow center, which Labella tagged up from third to try and score. The throw home hit the lip of the grass and bounced over the catcher, allowing Labella to score for the 1-0 lead.
The Riverhawks answered with a run in the bottom of the second to tie the game, and then scored three times in the bottom of the third for a 4-1 lead, highlighted by a two-run single by Joey Castellanos.
UML then rallied for four runs in the fourth inning to extend the lead to 8-1, as Cam Climo had a two-run double with the other two runs coming home on a wild pitch and a fielder's choice.
Fordham closed out the scoring in the top of the seventh, when pinch-hitter
Colton Snelling drove home pinch-runner
Terrence Murray from second with an RBI-single to left.
Cory Wall (2-1) took the loss, allowing four runs on eight hits over three innings of work with five strikeouts.
Gabe Karslo also allowed four runs in his one inning of work, while
Mike Cowell pitched two scoreless innings of relief with two strikeouts. At the plate, Fordham managed only five hits with Baker and Snelling driving in the two runs.
The same two teams will have the rubber game of this series on Sunday, April 28
th. Game time has been moved from noon to 10:00 AM due to weather.
