Baseball Runs Wild Over Sacred Heart in Home Opener

Bronx, N.Y.  – (February 23, 2022) – On a picture perfect afternoon at Houlihan Park, the Fordham baseball team gave their fans plenty to cheer about in the team's home opener on Wednesday.  The Rams racked up 19 runs, while seven Fordham pitchers combined for a two-hit shutout, as the team came away with a 19-0 win over the Sacred Heart Pioneers.
 
The 19 runs scored were the most by Fordham, since scoring 22 at Fairleigh Dickinson in 2019.
 
After a scoreless first inning, the flood gates opened up for the Rams in the second and third innings, scoring seven runs in each frame to build a 14-0 lead.
 
With the bases loaded and one out, Ryan Meyer popped up to the second baseman, but in trying to double off a runner, Ryan Donnelly threw the ball away, allowing Andy Semo to score from third.  After a hit by a pitch reloaded the bases, C.J. Vazquez dunked a double down the right field line to score two runners for a 3-0 lead.  The Rams kept the scoring going with two-run singles by Jason Coules and Semo later in the frame to go up, 7-0.
 
In the third, it was more of the same, as the Rams loaded the bases again, and forced a run in with a walk to Ryan Thiesse.  After Vazquez plated another run with a sacrifice fly, the Pioneers would commit three errors in the inning allowing five more runs to score, making it a 14-0 game.

 
Fordham continued to pile on, getting an RBI-single in the sixth from Nico Boza, an RBI-fielder's choice in seventh by Chris Genaro, an RBI-double by Michael Taylor in the eighth, and a two-run single from Richard Grund also in the eighth for the 19-0 win.
 
Cameron Knox (1-0) pitched the opening two frames and was credited with the win, allowing two walks with two strikeouts, followed by Anthony Scarlata pitching two scoreless frames, allowing one hit.  Robbie Stewart, Trey Maeker, Jake Clark, Ben Kovel, and Connor Haywood then finished out the shutout with one scoreless inning each.  The Rams' pitching staff combined for 12 strikeouts in the game, led by Stewart, who struck out the side in the fifth inning.
 
 At the plate, the Rams totaled 16 hits, led by Jack Harnisch and Sebastian Mexico, who were each 3-for-3 with two runs scored.  Vazquez was 2-for-3 with two doubles and three RBI with Coules and Semo each having two runs scored and two RBI.
 
Fordham is back on the field on Friday, February 25^th, as they head to Blacksburg, Virginia, to start a three-game series at Virginia Tech with game time set for 2:00 PM.