Bridgeport, Conn. – (April 18, 2023) – Even though the Fordham baseball team began an eight-game road trip on Tuesday, it felt like a home game for some of the Rams and they played to the crowd. Fordham's Connecticut-based trio of
Daniel Bucciero,
Chris Genaro, and
Connor Haywood all played big parts in the Rams' 9-7 win over Sacred Heart at Veteran's Park in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
Sacred Heart (16-17) opened the scoring in the first inning, when Sam Mongelli hit a two-run home run for a 2-0 lead, his ninth home run of the season.
Fordham (15-22) answered with three runs in the third and one in the fourth for a 4-2 advantage. In the third,
Chris Genaro opened the inning with a walk and advanced to second on a single by
Ryan Thiesse.
Cian Sahler followed with an RBI-double to left center to score Genaro.
Tommy McAndrews then doubled down the left field line, plating both Thiesse and Sahler.
The next inning saw another run-scoring hit by Sahler, this time an RBI-single to score
Michael Brueser, who reached on a hit by pitch.
The Pioneers then tied the game at four on a two-run double by Joe Cilea.
Sacred Heart went on top, 7-4, in the bottom of the sixth inning, as they took advantage of a Fordham error to plate three runs.
The Rams came right back with a huge seventh inning, as Fordham loaded the bases on a single by Thiesse and walks to Sahler and McAndrews.
Daniel Bucciero then launched a grand slam home run to left for an 8-7 lead, the first home run of his career. This was also the fourth grand slam home run hit by Fordham this season.
Connor Haywood
Fordham tacked on an insurance run in the ninth on a bases loaded walk to Genaro for the 9-7 final.
Once the Rams got the lead in the seventh, Fordham's bullpen duo of
Connor Haywood and
Ben Kovel did the rest. Haywood struck out five of the six batters he faced over two innings of work, while Kovel recorded his fifth save of the season with a scoreless ninth inning.
Peter Hoffman (1-0) made his first career appearance on Tuesday, as he earned the win, allowing one earned run with one strikeout in his lone inning of relief.
At the plate, Bucciero was 1-for-4 with two runs scored and the grand slam home run, while Thiesse was 3-for-6 with two runs scored and a stolen base. Sahler extended his hit streak to six games, going 2-for-3 with a double, two runs scored, two walks, and two RBI with Genaro going 1-for-2 with two walks, a run scored, and an RBI.
The Rams will next be in action on Friday, April 21
st, as the team faces the Richmond Spiders to open a three-game series down in Virginia.
