Richmond, Va. – (March 30, 2025) – Even though the first meeting between Fordham and Richmond as Patriot League football foes isn't scheduled until November, fans for both teams might have thought it was today at Richmond's Pitt Field.
With 48 total runs scored in the first two games of the Fordham-Richmond baseball series, the two teams outdid themselves on Sunday with a combined 39 runs scored and 13 home runs with the Rams coming away with a 21-18 win, completing a three-game sweep of the Spiders.
The win moves Fordham to 7-2 in the Atlantic 10, 14-14 overall, while Richmond fell to 21-7 on the year, 4-5 in the league.
The Rams continued their fast starts this weekend with a three-run first inning.
Cian Sahler kicked things off with a solo home run to right field, his second of the season.
Daniel Bucciero then went back-to-back with another solo home run to right, his first of the year.
Matt Dieguez then capped the inning with an RBI-single to score
Andrew Kanellis from second after he reached on a single and moved to second on a wild pitch.
Fordham extended the lead to 7-0 in the second, getting an RBI-double from Bucciero and a three-run home run by
Anthony Grabau, his third of the season.
Sahler kept the scoring rolling in the third, serving an RBI-single to left for an 8-0 lead, before a five-run fourth inning made it 13-0. In the fourth,
Taylor Kirk had a two-run single with Bucciero crushing his second home run of the afternoon to right, this time a three-run shot.
Richmond got their offense going in the bottom of the fifth, scoring seven times in the inning, highlighted by a grand slam home run by Grady O'Brien. The teams then exchanged runs in sixth for a 14-8 score.
Tommy Markey had an RBI-single for Fordham, while Connor Larson had a solo home run for Richmond.
The Rams then exploded for five runs in the eighth to go ahead by a 19-8 count, picking up an RBI-single by
Madden Ocko, a two-run single by Kirk, and a two-run home run by Sahler, his second home run of the afternoon. After a two-run home run by Richmond in the bottom of the eighth, Fordham answered with a pair of solo home runs by Dieguez and Ocko to make it 21-10.
The home run barrage continued in the bottom of the ninth with a solo home run, a three-run home run, and a grand slam home run to get Richmond within three, 21-18. The Spiders then got the tying run to the plate with two outs, but
Andres Perez was able to get Joey Wilga to strike out to end the game.
The 39 total runs were the most in a Fordham baseball game since April 19, 1982 against Army, which saw 42 runs come across the plate, while the seven home runs by the Rams were two shy of the school record of nine against St. Francis Brooklyn in 1975.
Bucciero led the Fordham attack, going 4-for-5 with two home runs, a double, and three runs scored, while tying a career-high with five RBI. Sahler finished 3-for-4 with two home runs, four runs scored, and four RBI, with Kirk ending up 3-for-6 with a season-high four RBI and two runs scored. Ocko also had three hits and three runs scored with Markey, Dieguez, and
Tommy McAndrews each posting two hits and two runs scored.
Ryan Egan (1-0) earned the win on the mound with 2.1 innings of two-hit relief with three strikeouts.
Fordham will next be in action on Tuesday, March 1
st, as the Rams open a five-game homestand at Houlihan Park against Monmouth, starting at 3:00 PM.
