Jacksonville, Fla. – (March 4, 2023) – The Fordham baseball team scored early with some big rallies, but were unable to hold those leads on Saturday, dropping both ends of a doubleheader by one run at North Florida at Harmon Stadium.
In game one, the Rams fell by a 7-6 score to the Ospreys, as North Florida scored twice in the eighth to break a 5-5 tie, while a ninth-inning rally for Fordham came up a run short.
After UNF took a 1-0 lead in the second, Fordham responded with a five-run third inning for a 5-1 lead. With a runner at first and two outs,
Cian Sahler doubled to left center to score
Michael Brueser and knot the score at one. After a wild pitch,
Peter DeMaria singled home Sahler for the lead. The rally continued with
Daniel Bucciero ripping an RBI-double to right center, scoring DeMaria.
The Ospreys went for a pitching change, but that didn't matter to
T.J. Wachter, who singled through the left side to score Bucciero from second. Wachter then stole second and moved to third on a passed ball. Following another pitching change,
Tommy McAndrews singled to right center plating Wachter from third for a 5-1 lead.
North Florida scored once in the bottom of the third to make it 5-2 and then scored three times in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game. After loading the bases, the Ospreys scored on two walks and a hit by pitch.
The score remained tied at five until the bottom of the eighth, when the Ospreys scored two runs off a Fordham error and a wild pitch. Fordham tried to rally back in the ninth, as
Ryan Thiesse led off with a single and scored on a double down the right field line. However, Sahler was thrown out at third, trying to stretch the double into a triple. The Rams did get the tying run aboard on an infield single by Bucciero with two outs, but Wachter struck out to end the game.
For Fordham, Sahler was 3-for-5 with two doubles and two RBI, while Thiesse was 3-for-5 with a run scored. On the hill, starter
Ben Kovel got a no-decision, allowing three runs on four hits over four innings with five strikeouts.
In game two, it was an infield single scoring a runner from third in the bottom of the tenth inning, giving North Florida a 6-5 win over the Rams.
The Rams started the scoring with a four-run third inning, as Fordham loaded the bases on three straight singles by
Chris Genaro, Thiesse and Sahler. DeMaria plated the first run with an infield single to the left side to score Genaro, while on the next pitch, Bucciero singled to right center to score Thiesse. After a strikeout, Wachter laced a ball to center that went in and out of the centerfielder's glove, allowing two runs to score.
Fordham made it 5-0 in the fifth on an RBI-single by
Michael Taylor, scoring Thiesse, who reached on an error.
North Florida put one across in the bottom of the fifth and three in the sixth to pull within one at 5-4. The Ospreys then tied the game at five on a solo home run by Alex Lodise, his fourth of the year, in the bottom of the eighth.
The Rams looked to take back the lead in the ninth, putting two on with one out, but Sahler grounded into a 1-6-3 double play to end the inning.
After keeping the Ospreys scoreless in the bottom of the frame, Fordham again threatened to re-take the lead in the tenth inning, loading the bases on a hit by pitch and two walks. However,
Zach Selinger's line drive was snagged out of the air by Ospreys' third baseman Matthew Clements to end the inning.
Then in the bottom of the tenth, North Florida got runners at the corners with one out, which led to Drew Leinenbach laying down a bunt single to the right side that Fordham pitcher
Trey Maeker could not get to in time, scoring the runner from third.
For Fordham, Thiesse was 2-for-4 with two runs scored, while Bucciero and Genaro also had two hits apiece. On the hill,
Connor Haywood had a strong showing in his first start, allowing four hits over four innings with six strikeouts.
The two teams will wrap up their series on Sunday with a 12:05 PM start.
