Winston-Salem, N.C – (February 16, 2024) – For the first time in team history, the Fordham baseball team took on the #1 team in the nation in its season opener, facing the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Couch Ballpark in Winston-Salem, N.C. The Rams ended the game outhitting Wake Forest, 6-5, but came up short in the runs category, falling by a 9-3 score.
Fordham jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning, as
Daniel Bucciero singled, stole second, and scored on a single by
Tommy McAndrews.
Wake Forest quickly tied the game in the bottom of the first on an Adam Tellier lead-off home run to left center.
The Demon Deacons then took advantage of a pair of Fordham errors to score three times in the second for a 4-1 advantage.
In the fifth inning, Wake Forest rallied for four runs to extend the lead to 8-1 on a two-run double by Jake Reinisch and a two-run single by Tate Ballestero.
The Rams cut the deficit to 8-3 in the top of the eighth when
Steve Luttazi connected on his first home run as a Ram, a two-run shot to left, scoring McAndrews from first after he reached on a walk.
Wake Forest tacked on a final run in the bottom of the eighth for the 9-3 final.
For Fordham,
Declan Lavelle pitched well in a loss, allowing just one earned run and two hits over four innings of work with three strikeouts. At the plate, McAndrews was 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI to lead the offense, with Luttazi being 1-for-4 with a two-run home run. Bucciero,
Chris Genaro, and
Madden Ocko accounted for the remainder of the Rams' hits.
The Rams are back on the field on Saturday, February 17
th, against the Akron Zips, beginning at 4:00 PM.
Gallery: (2-16-2024) Baseball at #1 Wake Forest
