Bronx, N.Y. – (March 10, 2023) – Trailing 2-1 for most of the game, the Fordham baseball team came up big in the late innings, scoring once in the ninth and tenth innings to record a 3-2 win over Quinnipiac in extra innings at Houlihan Park.
The Bobcats opened the scoring in the top of the first inning on a two-run double by Sebastian Mueller to go up by a 2-0 score.
Fordham cut the deficit in half in the fourth inning, as
Will Findlay led off with a single and moved to second on a wild pitch.
Tommy McAndrews then came through with a two-out RBI-single to make it a 2-1 game.
The game remained that way courtesy of Fordham relief pitchers
Aric Berg and
Ben Kovel, as the duo held the Bobcats to just one hit over the final six innings of the game. Berg threw three hitless inning of relief with four strikeouts, while Kovel got the Rams to the bottom of the ninth with five strikeouts in two innings.
Fordham then tied the game in the bottom of the ninth. Findlay once again started the rally with a single to left and was pinch run for by
T.J. Wachter. After a sacrifice moved Wachter to second, he advanced to third on a passed ball.
Zach Selinger was hit by a pitch to put runners at the corners for McAndrews. McAndrews then lifted a sacrifice fly to left to score Wachter and knot the game at two.
Kovel came back out for a third inning of relief in the top of the tenth and kept the score tied, as he struck out the side for the second time in the game. Then in the bottom of the inning, Fordham earned the walk-off win, after loading the bases with one out.
Ryan Thiesse led off with a double down the left field line and moved to third on a single by
Daniel Bucciero. Following a strikeout and an intentional walk to
Cian Sahler. Wachter followed with a slow chopper up the third baseline, that McGwire Tuffy fielded on the run and threw home but Thiesse slid in safely for the 3-2 Fordham win.
Kovel (1-2) earned the win, after posting a career-high eight strikeouts over three innings of relief. At the plate, Thiesse was 2-for-5 with a double and the game-winning run, while Findlay was 2-for-4 with a run scored.
Peter DeMaria and Bucciero also posted two hits in the game with McAndrews going 1-for-2 with two RBI.
The same two teams match up for game two of the series on Saturday at 1:00 PM.
