Queens, N.Y. – (March 19, 2021) – It was a classic pitcher's duel for the first meeting between Fordham and St. John's in over ten years at Jack Kaiser Stadium in Queens. In the end, neither Fordham's
Matt Mikulski nor St. John's Nick Mondak would figure in the decision, but a three-run rally in the bottom of the eighth inning by the Red Storm proved to be the difference in a 4-1 win.
With the loss, Fordham goes to 7-2 on the year, while St. John's improved to 8-3.
Fordham opened the scoring in the fourth inning, as
Jason Coules singled with one out and moved to third on a single by
Nick Labella. Coules then scored on a sacrifice bunt by
Casey Brown.
St. John's knotted the game at one in the fifth when Mitchell Henshaw connected on a solo home run off the right field foul pole.
The score remained tied at one due to the outstanding pitching of Fordham's
Matt Mikulski and St. John's Nick Mondak. Mondak held Fordham to just the one run over seven innings, allowing six hits with six strikeouts, while Mikulski gave up just three hits and three walks with a career-high 13 strikeouts over seven innings of work.
Then in the eighth, St. John's broke the deadlock with a three-run rally, highlighted by RBI-singles from David Glancy and Brandon Miller, to go ahead by a 4-1 count.
Ethan Routzahn came on for the save for the Red Storm, retiring the side in the ninth for his third save of the year. Joe Joe Rodriguez earned the win in relief, allowing one hit in the eighth inning.
Declan Lavelle (0-1) took the loss for Fordham, allowing three runs in the eighth inning.
At the plate, Labella was 2-for-4 with Coules going 1-for-4 with a run scored and two stolen bases.
The same two teams will match up on Saturday for an 11:00 AM doubleheader at Fordham's Houlihan Park.
Gallery: (3-19-2021) Baseball at St. John's
