Bronx, N.Y. – (March 14, 2024) – With wins in back-to-back games, the Fordham baseball team looks to continue their good play this weekend with a four-game round robin weekend with Army West Point and Fairfield.
Fordham (4-11) starts the weekend at Army West Point (8-7) on Friday with a noon game, followed by a Saturday match-up at Fairfield (3-11), beginning at 11:30 AM. Then on Sunday, the Rams will host both Fairfield and Army West Point on Sunday with the doubleheader beginning at 11:30 AM.
PROBABLE STARTERS:
Friday – Fordham – RHP
Declan Lavelle (1-2) at Army West Point – RHP Mike Ruggeri (0-2)
Saturday – Fordham – RHP
Koen Smith () at Fairfield – RHP Kyle Lesler (0-0)
Sunday (G1) – Fordham – TBA vs. Army West Point – TBA
Sunday (G2) – Fordham – TBA vs. Fairfield – RHP Ben Alekson (0-1)
SERIES HISTORY: Fordham has plenty of history with both Army West Point and Fairfield. For Army West Point, this will be the second meeting this season against Fordham, as the Rams took a 9-7 win on February 23
rd. Fordham now holds a 50-46-1 all-time record versus the Black Knights in a series that started in 1902.
Against its fellow Jesuit institution, the Rams and Stags have faced off 59 times since the series began in 1969. Fairfield won two of three meetings last season to take a 30-29 all-time series lead. The Stags took game one (9-4) and three (5-0) in last year's series, while Fordham won the middle game, 7-6.
OPPONENT OUTLOOK: Army West Point is 6-4 after that early season loss to Fordham and are on a three-game win streak. Sam Ruta continues to swing a hot bat for the Black Knights. He is hitting .350 with eight doubles, six home runs, and 18 RBI. William Parker ranks second on the team with a .333 average to go with a team-best 19 RBI. On the hill, Mike Ruggieri get the call on Friday for his fifth start of the year. He is 0-2 with a 4.71 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 21.0 innings.
After dropping their first ten games, the Stags have rebounded with a 3-1 mark over the last week. The team is hitting .278 as a group, but that has a lot to do with Ethan Hibbard. Hibbard is off to an amazing start through 14 games, batting .471 with eight doubles, four home runs, and 23 RBI. Matt Bergevin has also supplied some power with five home runs to go with a .339 batting average.
LAST TIME OUT (3/13): For the second straight game, the bottom of the Fordham batting order led the way to victory as
Cian Sahler,
Diego Prieto, and
Matt Dieguez combined for seven of the Rams' ten runs in a 10-1 win over the Wagner Seahawks at Houlihan Park on Wednesday.
With the score tied at one, the Rams scored three times in the sixth inning to take a 4-1 lead. The runs came home on a bases loaded walk to
Andrew Kanellis, a fielder's choice by
T.J. Wachter, and a balk.
Fordham continued to pour on the offense in the late innings, registering four runs in the seventh and two in the eighth for a 10-1 win. The seventh inning was highlighted by an RBI-double by
Matt Dieguez and an RBI-single by Kanellis, while the eighth inning saw a solo home run to right by
Cian Sahler and an RBI-single by
Michael Brueser. For Sahler, it was his first home run of the season.
Eight Fordham pitchers held the Seahawks in check, led by
Aidan Dowd, who threw the first two innings, recording three strikeouts.
Aric Berg and
Connor Haywood each had two strikeouts in an inning of relief. At the plate, Dieguez, making his first start as a Ram, was 3-for-3 with an RBI-double and two runs scored, while Sahler was 2-for-4 with a home run and two runs scored. Prieto added a double and three runs scored with Kanellis driving in two runs.
WE'RE GOIN' STREAKIN': Andrew Kanellis is currently on an eight-game hitting streak for the Rams, batting .417 in that stretch with three runs scored, two home runs, 10 RBI, and a .531 on-base percentage…
Ryan Thiesse saw a five-game hit streak snapped against Wagner, but is still batting .394 in his last six games with five runs scored, two doubles, four RBI, and a .459 on-base percentage…
Nico Boza has a four-game hit streak on the books, batting .412 with four runs scored, a home run, and five RBI over that time…
Declan Lavelle has been good on the mound right from the get-go, posting a 3.43 ERA and a .221 opponent batting average in four starts…
Connor Haywood has a 1.35 ERA and a .167 opponent batting average in his last five relief appearances…
Aidan Dowd made a splash is his first four appearances, recording 12 strikeouts, a 1.42 ERA, and a .136 opponent batting average.
WHO'S NEXT: The Rams are next in action on Wednesday, March 20
th, when they host Hofstra for a 3:00 PM game at Houlihan Park.
