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Baseball Travels to Rhode Island For Three-Game Set

Fordham Looks to Improve A-10 Standing at URI

Bronx, N.Y. – (April 25, 2024) – Two teams looking to spark a run to the Atlantic 10 Championship will match-up in Kingston, Rhode Island, this weekend, as Fordham travels to Rhode Island for a three-game series at Bill Beck Field.
 
Fordham (16-23, 7-5 A10) heads into the series having won their last three conference series over Richmond, Massachusetts, and Saint Louis.  Rhode Island (13-22, 5-7 A10) has split their conference series, winning two of three games from Massachusetts and Saint Joseph's, while dropping series to Saint Louis and George Washington.
 
PROBABLE STARTERS:
Friday – Fordham – RHP Declan Lavelle (5-4, 4.40 ERA) at Rhode Island – RHP AJ Jones (1-1, 7.27)
Saturday – Fordham – RHP Aidan Dowd (1-2, 2.97 ERA) at Rhode Island – RHP Sean Sposato (1-3, 5.35 ERA)
Sunday – Fordham – TBD at Rhode Island – TBD
 
SERIES HISTORY: The Battle of the Rams has happened plenty over the years with Fordham and Rhode Island being a part of the Atlantic 10 since the 1996 season, but the first ever meeting dates back to 1913.  Rhode Island holds a 40-34 series lead after Rhode Island grabbed two of three games last year at Houlihan Park.  URI won the opening two games with Fordham salvaging the final outing.
 
OPPONENT OUTLOOK: Rhode Island is 13-22 on the season with a 5-7 record in the Atlantic 10.  URI has a .239 team batting average, but still has some dangerous bats in the lineup, led by Anthony DePino and Michael Anderson.  DePino is batting .290 with 11 home runs and 27 RBI, while Anderson has eight doubles, eight home runs, and 30 RBI to go with a .277 average.  On the bump, Sean Sposato has been the team's most reliable starting pitcher, posting a 1-3 record in eight starts to go with a 5.35 ERA and 25 strikeouts.  The bullpen has a pair of top arms in Jeremy Urena (2-0, 3.09) and Tommy Hughes (2-0, 3.37).
 
LAST TIME OUT (4/24): FDU's Nicholas Feretic struck out nine batters over five innings of work , while Ben Avila was 3-for-4 with two RBI, as the Knights held off a late rally by the Fordham Rams to win, 6-4, at Houlihan Park on Wednesday.
 
FDU picked up a run in the first inning and then rallied for five runs in the third for a 6-0 advantage.  The Knights scored on a wild pitch in the first, while the fifth inning rally was highlighted by a two-run single by Ben Avila.
 
Fordham got on the board in the fifth inning, getting three straight singles to score a run.  After Ryan Thiesse and Andrew Kanellis reached on singles to put runners at the corners, Cian Sahler looped a single to left center to score Thiesse.  The base hit extended Sahler's hit streak to 16 games, joining just five other Rams with a hit streak that long.
 
The score stayed at 6-1 until the ninth, when Fordham attempted a ninth-inning rally, loading the bases on an infield single by Carson Chavez and walks to Daniel Bucciero and Thiesse.  Kanellis followed with a two-run single to right center to cut the deficit to 6-3.  The Rams added another run on a fielder's choice to make it, 6-4, and bringing the tying run to the plate.
 
However, FDU reliever Joey Kosowsky got a fly out and a fielder's choice to end the game and record his first save.  Nicholas Feretic earned the win, allowing one run on four hits over five innings with nine strikeouts.
 
For Fordham, Brixton Lofgren took the loss, giving up a run on two hits in two innings.  At the plate, Kanellis was 2-for-4 with two RBI, while Bucciero was 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored.  Thiesse also scored two runs with Sahler having a hit and two RBI.
 
PROMISING START: The first half of conference play has been pretty good for the Rams, hitting .316 as a team and averaging 6.1 runs per game.  Cian Sahler is batting .400 in conference play with 10 RBI, while Daniel Bucciero is also tearing it up at .389 with 14 runs scored, six home runs, and 18 RBI.  Ryan Thiesse is seeing the ball well in A-10 play, hitting .358 with 12 runs scored and five stolen bases.  On the hill, Declan Lavelle has been an ace, going 3-1 with a 4.91 ERA in 29.1 innings with 28 strikeouts.
 
LIGHTIN' IT UP: Cian Sahler is currently on a 16-game hit streak, batting .387 (24-62) over that stretch with 14 RBI… Daniel Bucciero is hitting .406 in his last 15 games with 16 runs scored, six doubles, six home runs, and 18 RBI… Ryan Thiesse is batting .354 in his last 15 games with 14 runs scored, six extra-base hits, and five RBI… Since taking over as the Rams' starting second baseman, Madden Ocko is hitting .314 over 10 games with a pair of RBI… In his last four starts, Declan Lavelle is 3-1 with a 4.91 ERA in 29.1 innings with 28 strikeouts… Aric Berg has two wins and three saves in his last eight appearances… Robbie Stewart is 1-0 with a 3.21 ERA in his last four appearances, recording 12 strikeouts in 14 innings... Gannon Brady is 1-0 in his last six relief appearances with a 1.29 ERA and 10 strikeouts.
 
GOIN' STREAKIN': With Cian Sahler reaching 16 games on his current hitting streak, he has reached some rare air.  Since 1995, only three other players have a hit streak of at least 16 games – Jason Coules (18 – 2020-21), Mike Marchiano (17 – 107), and John Mollicone (16 – 2007).  The school record for the Rams is 21 games, which was reached originally by Bob DiVincenzo in 1977 and then matched by Ray Montgomery in 1988.  
 
MILESTONES HIT: With a win in the series opener at UMass, Fordham head coach Kevin Leighton hit a pair of coaching milestones.  He recorded his 300th win at Fordham, as well as his 500th career coaching win.  Previous to Fordham, he notched 200 wins at Manhattan College.
 
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/RamsesChallenge.
 
WHO'S NEXT: Following this series, Fordham will be back home on April 30th at Houlihan Park to face the Manhattan Jaspers at 3:00 PM.
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Players Mentioned

Aric Berg

#8 Aric Berg

P
6' 1"
Sophomore
R/R
Gannon Brady

#10 Gannon Brady

P
6' 2"
Junior
R/R
Daniel Bucciero

#28 Daniel Bucciero

IF/OF
6' 2"
Sophomore
R/R
Declan Lavelle

#27 Declan Lavelle

P
6' 1"
Senior
L/R
Cian Sahler

#7 Cian Sahler

OF/P
5' 10"
Junior
L/L
Robbie Stewart

#29 Robbie Stewart

P
6' 2"
Junior
R/R
Ryan Thiesse

#1 Ryan Thiesse

OF
5' 11"
Senior
R/R
Madden Ocko

#6 Madden Ocko

IF
6' 2"
Freshman
R/R
Aidan Dowd

#16 Aidan Dowd

P
6' 1"
Freshman
R/R
Carson Chavez

#43 Carson Chavez

C
5' 8"
Freshman
R/R

Players Mentioned

Aric Berg

#8 Aric Berg

6' 1"
Sophomore
R/R
P
Gannon Brady

#10 Gannon Brady

6' 2"
Junior
R/R
P
Daniel Bucciero

#28 Daniel Bucciero

6' 2"
Sophomore
R/R
IF/OF
Declan Lavelle

#27 Declan Lavelle

6' 1"
Senior
L/R
P
Cian Sahler

#7 Cian Sahler

5' 10"
Junior
L/L
OF/P
Robbie Stewart

#29 Robbie Stewart

6' 2"
Junior
R/R
P
Ryan Thiesse

#1 Ryan Thiesse

5' 11"
Senior
R/R
OF
Madden Ocko

#6 Madden Ocko

6' 2"
Freshman
R/R
IF
Aidan Dowd

#16 Aidan Dowd

6' 1"
Freshman
R/R
P
Carson Chavez

#43 Carson Chavez

5' 8"
Freshman
R/R
C