Bronx, N.Y. – (March 28, 2024) – Atlantic 10 Baseball begins conference play this weekend, as the Fordham Rams will head to Dayton for a three-game series with the Flyers at Woerner Field at AES Ohio Stadium. It is Fordham's first trip to Dayton since 2019 with games set for Friday at 4:00 PM, Saturday at 1:00 PM, and noon on Sunday.
Fordham (8-16) and Dayton (15-10) are looking to snap back into the win column as both teams have lost their last two games. The Rams lost to St. John's and Stony Brook on Sunday and Wednesday , respectively, while Dayton dropped the last two games of their four-game series at Butler.
PROBABLE STARTERS:
Friday – Fordham – RHP
Declan Lavelle (2-3, 3.94 ERA) at Dayton – LHP Eli Majick (3-1, 4.37 ERA)
Saturday – Fordham – RHP
Koen Smith (0-1, 5.14 ERA) at Dayton– RHP Chris Peguero (0-3, 6.75 ERA)
Sunday – Fordham – TBD at Dayton - TBD
SERIES HISTORY: Fordham and Dayton have matched up 42 times as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference with the Rams holding a 22-20 lead in the all-time series. The team last met for a three-game series in 2022 at Houlihan Park, where the Rams earned the series win with victories in game two and three. This is the first series at Dayton since 2019.
OPPONENT OUTLOOK: The Flyers are 15-10 on the season and are being led by one of the top freshmen in the Atlantic 10 in David Mendez. Mendez leads the team with a .417 batting average to go with 22 runs scored, four doubles, two triples, three home runs, and 23 RBI. Carlos Castillo is also having a fine season at the plate, batting .357 with 25 runs scored, eight doubles, three home runs, and 20 RBI. Eddie Yamin IV and Ryan MacDougall have provided the power in the Dayton lineup, combining for 11 home runs and 47 RBI this season. On the hill, Dayton boasts a 6.06 team ERA, led by Eli Majick, who is 3-1 on the year with a 4.37 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 22.2 innings pitched.
LAST TIME OUT (3/27): After scoring in the top of the seventh, the Fordham Rams had some momentum pulling within 3-1 of the Stony Brook Seawolves on Wednesday afternoon. However, Stony Brook scored twice in the seventh and nine times in the eighth to pull away for a 14-3 win over the Rams at Joe Nathan Stadium.
Stony Brook scored once in the first, second, and fifth innings to build a 3-0 lead, highlighted by an RBI-single by Brett Paulsen in the first inning.
Fordham pulled within two at 3-1 in the top of the seventh inning.
Steve Luttazi drew a lead-off walk and moved to second on a single by
Tommy McAndrews.
Henry Pelinski then singled through the left side to score Luttazi. The rally though was halted by a line drive double play and a ground out, leaving the Rams behind by two.
The Seawolves quickly got the run back on a solo home run by Erik Paulsen and added another on a bases loaded walk to go up, 5-1, after seven innings. Stony Brook then blew the game open with a nine-run eighth inning with the big hit being a two-run single by Cal Parrillo. Fordham scratched a pair of runs across in the ninth for the 14-3 final score. The Rams loaded the bases with one out and got runs on an RBI-single by
Jack Vallario and a fielder's choice by
Matt Dieguez.
Andres Perez (1-1) took the loss, allowing two runs over two innings in his first career start. Offensively, the Rams managed five hits with Luttazi, McAndrews, and Pelinski each going 1-for-3 with a run scored.
LIGHTIN' IT UP: Over the last 11 games, it's been the bottom of the order doing the damage with
Cian Sahler,
Nico Boza, and
Chris Genaro are hitting .333 or better and have combined for 27 RBI in that stretch…
Aric Berg has been lights out on the mound, going 3-0 with a 1.74 ERA and 13 strikeouts over his last five appearances…
Aidan Dowd is 1-1 with a 0.00 ERA and 13 strikeouts in his last three starts.
RAMSES CHALLENGE: Show your support for Fordham Baseball all season long by signing up for the Ramses Challenge! Whether it's wins, home run hits or strikeouts thrown during the 2024 season, now is the perfect time to give back to the program and its student-athletes. Make your pledge by going to FordhamSports.com/Ramses Challenge.
WHO'S NEXT: After this weekend, Fordham returns home for four straight games, starting with a home tilt against Monmouth on Tuesday, April 2
nd at 3:00 PM. The Rams then welcome Richmond for a three-game series, April 5-7.
