Baseball Begins Three-Game Set with Seton Hall on Wednesday

Bronx, N.Y. – (March 30, 2021) – Following a doubleheader sweep of Delaware on Saturday, the Fordham baseball team is back in action on Wednesday, when the Rams begin a three-game split series with the Seton Hall Pirates.  Wednesday's contest has been moved to a 1:00 PM start due to potential weather in the Bronx, while Thursday and Saturday's games will be 4:00 PM start in South Orange.
 
Fordham (11-4) picked up its 10^th and 11^th win of the season last Saturday in convincing fashion over Delaware, outscoring the Blue Hens, 23-3, in the doubleheader.  Seton Hall enters the series with a 5-11 record after being swept by Davidson down in North Carolina, all by one-run margins.
 
PROBABLE STARTERS/GAME COVERAGE:
Wednesday: Fordham – RHP Gabe Karslo (2-0, 3.86 ERA) vs. Seton Hall – LHP Tyler Burnham (0-3, 7.36 ERA) // Live Audio | Live Stats | Twitter - @FordhamBaseball

Thursday: Fordham – LHP Garrett Crowley (2-0, 2.37 ERA) at Seton Hall – RHP Ryan McLinsky (0-0, 4.09 ERA) // Live Video | Live Stats | Twitter - @FordhamBaseball
 
Saturday: Fordham – LHP Matt Mikulski (3-0, 1.66 ERA) at Seton Hall – TBA // Live Video | Live Stats | Twitter - @FordhamBaseball
 
SERIES HISTORY: The Rams and Pirates have a long history against each other with the first meeting happening all the way back in 1863.  The series has been on and off with the Pirates holding a 38-31-2 record.  The last meeting between the squads was in 2012 with Seton Hall taking a 5-0 decision.
 
LAST TIME OUT (3/27): After having their schedule get jumbled, 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.
 
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.
 
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 Henderson 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.
 
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.
              
MIKULSKI NAMED A-10 CO-PITCHER OF THE WEEK (3/29): The Atlantic 10 Conference announced its weekly baseball awards this afternoon with Fordham senior pitcher Matt Mikulski receiving Co-Pitcher of the Week honors.  It is Mikulski's third career weekly award and second pitching accolade.
 
Mikulski continued his fantastic start to 2021 at Delaware on Saturday.  He improved to 3-0 on the season, allowing one run on three hits with a walk and 12 strikeouts over 5.2 innings of work. It marked his sixth career game of 10 strikeouts or more, and second this season.  Mikulski also lowered his ERA to 1.66 on the year.
 
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 29^th, Fordham leads the Atlantic 10 with a team 2.90 ERA, which is good for 10^th in the NCAA.  So far, Fordham's top arms have been a pair of lefties in Matt Mikulski and Garrett Crowley.  Mikulski is 3-0 on the year with a 1.66 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 21.2 inning pitched, while Crowley is 2-0 with a 2.37 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 19 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 April 9^th, when the Rams start a four-game Atlantic 10 series with the St. Bonaventure Bonnies at Houlihan Park.  The teams will play a doubleheader on the 9^th with single games on the 10^th and 11^th.