West Point, N.Y. – (March 15, 2024) – Keyed by a five-run fifth inning and four scoreless innings of relief by the Fordham bullpen, the Rams posted a 7-5 comeback win over Army West Point at Doubleday Field.
It was Fordham's third straight win, improving to 5-11 on the year, while Army West Point fell to 8-8.
The Black Knights opened with a 4-0 lead by the second inning, as Coleson Titus had an RBI-single in the first inning with Sam Ruta connecting on a three-run home run to right in the second. It was Ruta's seventh home run of the season.
Fordham got on the board in the third inning after loading the bases on a single by
Cian Sahler, a
Ryan Thiesse hit by pitch, and a walk to
Daniel Bucciero.
Andrew Kanellis then plated Sahler with a ground out.
The Black Knights got that run right back in the bottom of the frame on an RBI-single by Ethan Ellis, making it a 5-1 game.
The offense then kicked in for Fordham, scoring five times in the fifth inning for a 6-5 lead. The inning started with a walk to Thiesse, followed by an RBI-double by Bucciero. The Rams then used multiple walks, an error, and a wild pitch to score four more times in the inning and take the lead.
Fordham added to the lead with a single run in the seventh for the 7-5 edge.
Tommy McAndrews drew a leadoff walk, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, and scored on a single to the right side by
Nico Boza.
From there, it was the Fordham bullpen duo of
Aric Berg and
Connor Haywood, who closed the door on the Black Knights with a combined four scoreless innings in relief of Fordham starter
Declan Lavelle. Lavelle (2-2) earned his second win of the season, allowing two earned runs on six hits with five strikeouts over five innings of work. Berg tossed three scoreless innings of relief, which included striking out the side in the eighth inning with the tying run at the plate. Haywood picked up his first collegiate save, as he worked around two walks in the ninth to secure the victory.
At the plate,
Cian Sahler continues to swing a hot bat, going 4-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI, while Boza was 1-for-4 with a pair of RBI.
Tommy McAndrews also added a hit and two runs scored for the Rams.
Fordham is next in action on Saturday as the Rams travel to Fairfield for an 11:30 AM game.
