Baseball Heads to Delaware for Saturday Doubleheader

Bronx, N.Y. – (March 26, 2021) – After both teams saw their plans changes, the Fordham Rams and Delaware Blue Hens will now face-off in a baseball doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at Bob Hannah Stadium in Delaware.
 
Fordham (9-4) was scheduled to meet Hofstra in a split four-game-game series this weekend, but that was cancelled due to Hofstra's team pause.  Delaware (3-3) was set to continue their run through Philadelphia-based schools in Saint Joseph's, but the Hawks were also unavailable, so the Rams will fill as the Blue Hens' opponent on Saturday.
 
PROBABLE STARTERS/GAME COVERAGE:
Saturday (G1): Fordham – LHP Matt Mikulski (2-0, 1.69 ERA) vs. Delaware – RHP Chris Ludman (1-2, 4.43 ERA) // Live Video | Live Stats | Twitter - @FordhamBaseball
 
Saturday (G2): Fordham – LHP Garrett Crowley (1-0, 2.40 ERA) vs. Delaware – RHP Dom Velazquez (2-1, 4.20 ERA) // Live Video | Live Stats | Twitter - @FordhamBaseball
 
SERIES HISTORY: The Rams and Blue Hens have met 11 times in their team histories with the first meeting, coming all the way back in 1909.  Delaware holds a 6-5 lead in the series history with the last meeting coming in 2015 – a 7-3 Delaware win at Houlihan Park.  The previous year, the Rams took two of three games in a series played in Bel Air, Maryland.
 
LAST TIME OUT (3/24): Sacred Heart cracked two home runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to highlight a six-run rally, as the Pioneers knocked off the Fordham Rams, 10-4, in baseball action on Wednesday afternoon at Veteran's Memorial Park in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
 
Sacred Heart jetted out to a 3-0 lead by the third inning, getting a solo home run by Isiah Daubon in the second, while an RBI-double by Elijah Brown and an RBI-single by Auston Markmann accounted for the scoring in the third.
 
Fordham rallied for two runs in the fifth and sixth innings to grab a 4-3 lead.   In the fifth, Ryan Thiesse led off with a bunt single and moved to second on a walk to C.J. Vazquez.  Nick Labella then walked with one out to load the bases for Casey Brown.  Brown then delivered a two-run double to left, cutting the deficit to 3-2.

 
The sixth inning began with a walk to Trey Maeker, followed by a single through the left side by Richard Grund.  After another bunt single by Thiesse, Vazquez tied the game with a sacrifice fly to center.  Jason Coules then gave Fordham the lead on an infield single, scoring Grund for a 4-3 advantage.
 
The lead did not last long, as the Pioneers posted six runs in the bottom of the seventh and one in the eighth to re-take a 10-4 lead.  The seventh inning was highlighted by a three-run home run by Markmann and a two-run home run Danny Glendon.
 
Sacred Heart finished out the win, which was credited to Luke Hansen, who threw 2.2 innings of two-hit relief.  Ben Kovel (0-1) took the loss for Fordham, giving up four earned runs on four hits.
 
The loss spoiled a strong outing by Fordham's Gabe Karslo, who struck out a career-high eight batters over five innings, allowing three runs on five hits.  At the plate, Vazquez, Grund, and Thiesse each had two hits and a run scored with Brown going 1-for-4 with a double and two RBI.
              
OFF TO A GOOD START: With the team having its best start in a decade, it's no surprise that the Rams' pitching staff is at the forefront.  As of March 25^th, Fordham leads the Atlantic 10 with a team 3.10 ERA, which is good for 21^st in the NCAA.  So far, Fordham's top arms have been a pair of lefties in Matt Mikulski and Garrett Crowley.  Mikulski is 2-0 on the year with a 1.69 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 16.0 inning pitched, while Crowley is 1-0 with a 2.40 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 15 innings.
 
THAT WAS A LONG ONE: So far this season, the Rams are making up for all the lost games over the past year, having already played four extra-inning games this season, posting a 3-1 mark. 
 
On March 13^th, the Rams and Fairleigh Dickinson Knights played one of the longest games in Fordham baseball history going 16 innings with the Knights coming out on top.  For Fordham, it tied for the second longest game in school history (16 innings at St. John's – 5/10/1948) and only trailed the famous 19-inning affair between Fordham and Clemson at the 1988 NCAA Regional.
 
HOME SWEET HOME: Over the last five seasons, Fordham's Houlihan Park has been a friendly home to the Rams.  The Maroon and White have a 70-24 regular season home record in that time, good for a .750 win percentage.  Recently, the Rams had a string of 15 straight regular season home wins that dated back to 2019, snapped on March 13^th.
 
WHO'S NEXT: The Rams will next be in action on Wednesday, March 31^st, when the team starts a three-game split series with the Seton Hall Pirates.  The March 31^st contest will be at Houlihan Park, while the April 1^st and April 3^rd games are slated for Mike Sheppard, Sr. Stadium in New Jersey.