Baseball Wins A-10 Championship

Bronx, N.Y. – (May 25, 2019) – It was high drama all game long, featuring gutsy pitching, stellar defense, and clutch hits in the 2019 Atlantic 10 Baseball Championship game held at Fordham's Houlihan Park.  However in the end, it was the keen eye of Fordham senior catcher Justin Bardwell that capped the game, as he drew a bases loaded walk to force in the winning run, giving the Rams a 4-3 win over the Dayton Flyers and the team's second ever Atlantic 10 Championship title.
 
With the win, Fordham receives the Atlantic 10's automatic bid into the NCAA Championship, which will be the team's eighth appearance overall and first since 1998.
 
"I'm so proud of our guys and the way they played this week.  This team has fought so hard all year and I'm beyond happy for them," said head coach Kevin Leighton after the game. "Watching them celebrate on the field and be the last team standing was amazing.  Our players, our coaching staff, and alumni deserved this."

 
Fordham (38-22) started the scoring in the first without the courtesy of a hit.  With two outs, Jake MacKenzie drew a walk and moved to second on a wild pitch.  MacKenzie then stole third, his 43^rd stolen base of the season, where the throw was errant to third from the pitcher, allowing MacKenzie to score.
 
The Rams made it 2-0 in the fifth inning.  Billy Godrick reached on a bunt single and moved to third on a Jake Baker single.  C.J. Vazquez then plated Godrick from third with a sacrifice bunt.
 
Fordham tacked on to the lead in the sixth.  Matt Tarabek drew a walk, while Justin Bardwell and Godrick were both hit by a pitch to load the bases.  Baker then singled up the middle to score Tarabek for a 3-0 edge.
 
Dayton (32-26-1) then rallied for two runs in the seventh inning, cutting the Fordham lead to 3-2.  The Flyers picked up a run on an error as well as a sacrifice fly by Alex Brickman.

 
The score held there until the ninth, as with two outs, Dayton's Brickman hit a solo home run to left center off Fordham closer Kyle Martin, his seventh of the season, to tie the game and force extra innings, marking the third time that the Atlantic 10 Championship final has gone to extra innings (1985 and 2008).
 
Martin would go on to keep Dayton in check for two more innings, pitching a career-long 4.2 inning to the 12^th inning, when Cory Wall took over and got a 1-2-3 inning for the Rams.
 
Then in the bottom of the 12^th, the Rams got things started with a one-out single by Jason Coules and a walk to Jake MacKenzie.  Alvin Melendez then singled sharply to left to load the bases with one out.  After a strikeout, Justin Bardwell drew a five-pitch walk from Dayton reliever Cole Pletka to force in Coules to score the championship winning run.

 
 
Wall (3-1) was credited with the win, following Martin's 4.2 innings of work with four strikeouts.  Matt Mikulski started the game, going the first 5.1 innings, allowing four hits and three walks with six strikeouts.  At the plate, Coules was 2-for-6, scoring the game-winning run, while Baker was 2-for-4 with an RBI.  Melendez added two hits and a stolen base as well offensively.
 
Following the game, Nick Labella was named the Championship's Most Outstanding Player for both his offensive and defensive prowess during the Championship, while Labella, Martin, Melendez, and Vazquez were selected to the All-Championship team.
 
The Rams will now await to see what NCAA Regional they will be sent to on Monday, May 27^th, at noon with the NCAA selection show on ESPNU.