Cary, N.C. – (February 21, 2025) – Having not played each other since 1936, when Franklin D. Roosevelt was President, a dozen eggs were 18 cents, and a movie ticket was a quarter, the Fordham Rams and Harvard Crimson made up for lost time, totaling 24 runs and 28 hits on Friday afternoon at the USA Baseball National Training Complex. The Rams came out on the better end of the game with a 14-10 win, earning the team's first victory of the season.
After a scoreless first inning, the bats came alive in the second with Fordham scoring five times to take the initial lead. The Rams tallied four RBI-singles in the rally by
Matt Dieguez,
Caden Young,
Daniel Bucciero, and
Reid Lapekas. The other run scored on an error.
Harvard answered with two in the bottom of the frame, but then in the third, Young cracked a three-run home run to left, his second of the season, to put the Rams on top, 8-2.
The Crimson battled their way back to even the game at eight all by scoring three runs in the third and fourth innings, highlighted by two-run home runs by Jordan Kang in the third and by Gio Colasante in the fourth.
Harvard snagged the lead in the bottom of the sixth, scoring a pair of runs, but Fordham answered right back with three in the seventh for an 11-10 advantage.
Cian Sahler was hit by a pitch to start the rally and moved to second on a single by
Madden Ocko.
Andrew Kanellis followed with a two-run double to left to tie the game at ten. He later scored on a Harvard error for the lead.
Fordham added to the lead in the eighth, as
Jack Brennan walked with the bases loaded to force in a run, making it, 12-10. The Rams tacked on two more runs in the ninth on a two-run single by Dieguez, making it a 14-10 game.
Gannon Brady locked down the final outs in the ninth, closing the game with a 5-4-3 double play. Brady earned his first career save with three hitless innings of relief with two strikeouts.
Beau Elson (1-1) picked up his first collegiate win in relief of starter
Aidan Dowd. Elson allowed three earned runs over three innings with three strikeouts, while Dowd allowed five runs in three innings with three strikeouts.
At the plate, Dieguez was 4-for-5 with two runs scored and three RBI, while Kanellis went 3-for-5 with a double, two runs scored, and two RBI. Young posted a 2-for-4 day with a home run and four RBI with Bucciero going 2-for-3 with an RBI and three walks.
Fordham continues play at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, N.C. on Saturday, February 22
nd, against Indiana, beginning at 5:00 PM.
