Newark, Del. – (March 27, 2021) – After having their schedule get jumbled this weekend, the Fordham baseball team did not let the change in opponents phase them, as the Rams swept a doubleheader at Delaware by scores of 15-2 and 8-1 at Bob Hannah Stadium in Newark, Delaware.
With the sweep, Fordham improved to 11-4 on the year, while the Blue Hens fell to 3-5.
In game one,
Jason Coules and
Alvin Melendez each scored three runs, while
Casey Brown drove in three, as the Rams posted a 15-2 win.
Fordham opened the game with a 3-0 lead in the first inning and then scored once in each of the next three innings to build up a 6-0 edge. The first inning was highlighted by an RBI-single by
Jack Harnisch, while the second and fourth innings had RBI-singles by
Nick Labella and
Casey Brown, respectively. Harnisch. The third inning saw a first and third steal by
Jake Guercio and Harnisch with Harnisch taking home.
Matt Mikulski
The Rams then exploded for six runs in the fifth, capitalizing on a pair of Delaware errors. The biggest hits in the frame were RBI-singles by
C.J. Vazquez and
Alvin Melendez and a two-run single by Brown.
Fordham tacked on three more runs in the seventh as
Richard Grund,
Will Findlay, and
Trey Maeker all drew bases loaded walks to plate runs.
The offensive barrage was plenty for starting pitcher
Matt Mikulski, as he improved to 3-0 on the season. He allowed just one run on three hits with 12 strikeouts in 5.1 innings of work.
Cameron Knox tossed 1.1 innings of scoreless relief with
Joe Bladel and
Alex Hernandez closing out the game with an inning each.
At the plate, Brown was 2-for-4 with three RBI, while Harnisch was 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI.
Jason Coules and Melendez each scored three runs with Vazquez having two hits and two runs scored.
Nico Boza also had his first career multi-hit game, going 2-for-3 with a run scored.
In game two, three Fordham pitchers combined for a four-hitter, while the offense continued to roll, as the Rams completed the doubleheader sweep with an 8-1 win.
The Rams again started out quickly with a run in the first inning, as Vazquez scored from third on a passed ball after a single and two stolen bases.
Delaware tied the game at one in the fourth on a solo home run by Jack Goan, but the Rams answered with a long ball in the fifth, when Labella connected on a two-run blast to left, his first of the season.
Alvin Melendez
Fordham added to the lead with two runs in the sixth for a 5-1 advantage, getting a sacrifice fly from Vazquez and an RBI-double from Coules. The Rams then capped the scoring with three runs in the eighth with Melendez connecting on a two-run triple and Labella having an RBI-triple.
The eight runs were enough for the Fordham pitching trio of
Garrett Crowley,
Brooks Ey, and
Declan Lavelle. Crowley (2-0) went the first four innings, allowing one run on four hits with five strikeouts, while Ey tossed four innings of hitless relief with two strikeouts. Lavelle had one strikeout in his one inning of scoreless relief.
At the plate, Labella was 2-for-4 with a triple, a home run, and three RBI, while Melendez was 2-for-3 with a triple, two runs scored, and two stolen bases. Guercio also had two hits and two runs scored to go with a stolen base with
Colton Snelling netting a hit and two runs scored.
The Rams are next in action on Wednesday, March 31
st, when they start a three-game series with the Seton Hall Pirates at Houlihan Park, beginning at 3:00 PM.
