Bronx, N.Y. – (April 16, 2025) – After snapping a seven-game slide on Tuesday with a win over FDU, the Fordham baseball team looks to continue that momentum in conference play, as the Rams host the St. Bonaventure Bonnies in a three-game Atlantic 10 series at Houlihan Park. Game one is slated for Thursday at 1:00 PM, with game two at 11:00 AM on Friday, and noon on Saturday for the series finale.
SCOUTING REPORT: St. Bonaventure is 12-21 on the season with a 3-12 mark in the Atlantic 10. The Bonnies have not played since Sunday, when they knocked off Rhode Island by a 12-8 score. St. Bonaventure is led by Jayce Tharnish, who is hitting .395 with 32 runs scored, 22 stolen bases, and 21 RBI. Conner Vercollone has the top power bat in the lineup, leading the team with eight home runs and 29 RBI to go with a .282 batting average. The team's rotation is headed up by David James and Chance Moore. James has started nine games this season, posting a team-high 28 strikeouts in 34.1 innings, while Moore has 22 strikeouts in a team-high 37.0 innings of work. Out of the bullpen, Luke Roggenburk has four saves and two wins in 33.2 innings.
PROBABLE STARTERS:
Friday - Fordham – RHP
Aidan Dowd (2-3, 6.00 ERA) vs. St. Bonaventure – RHP David James (0-5, 10.22 ERA)
Saturday – Fordham – RHP
Mike Rabayda (1-4, 6.17 ERA) vs. St. Bonaventure – RHP Chance Moore (1-4, 7.05 ERA)
Sunday – Fordham – RHP
Chase Hanawalt (0-1, 5.79 ERA) vs. St. Bonaventure – TBD
SERIES HISTORY: The Fordham-St. Bonaventure series dates back to 1907 with a single contest, while also playing in 1929 and 1930. After that the two squads have been league opponents in the Atlantic 10. Fordham leads the all-time series at 47-32, but last season, the Bonnies swept a three-game series from the Rams at Fred Handler Park in three tight contests (5-3, 4-3, 6-5). In that series, Jayce Tharnish went 6-for-11 with three runs scored and two RBI to lead the Bonnies, while
Daniel Bucciero was 7-for-10 with three runs scored, a home run, and four RBI.
LAST TIME OUT (4/15): Fordham's
Matt Dieguez and
Cian Sahler each went 3-for-4 with four RBI and two runs scored, leading the Rams to a 16-6 win over the FDU Knights at Houlihan Park on Tuesday afternoon.
The Rams were a run-producing machine, scoring at least one run in each of the first six innings, building up a 15-5 lead.
In the first inning,
Matt Dieguez had a two-run, ground-rule double, scoring
Daniel Bucciero and
Andrew Kanellis, while the second inning saw an RBI-single by
Taylor Kirk, extending his hit streak to 16 games. Kanellis kept the scoring rolling in the third, as he led off the inning with a solo home run to center, his team-leading seventh of the year.
Cian Sahler picked up an RBI-single later in the inning, while the final run of the frame came home on a sacrifice fly by
Reid Lapekas.
After FDU scored twice in the fourth, Fordham answered with four runs in the bottom of the inning. Dieguez recorded an RBI-single to score Kanellis, who reached on a double. After a stolen base by Dieguez and a walk to
Madden Ocko, Sahler roped a three-run home run to right field, his fourth of the season for a 10-2 lead.
The teams exchanged three-run rallies in the fifth with Fordham adding two more in the sixth, which came on a sacrifice fly by
Ryan Meyer and an RBI-groundout by
Anthony Grabau. The scoring was capped in the eighth inning, as each team scored once for the 16-6 win, snapping the Rams' seven-game losing streak.
At the plate, Sahler was 3-for-4 with a double, a home run, two runs scored, and four RBI, while Dieguez also went 3-for-4 with a double, two runs scored, two stolen bases, and four RBI. Kanellis finished 2-for-2 with a home run and three runs scored with Bucciero going 3-for-6 with three runs scored and two stolen bases.
Anthony Scarlata (1-0) recorded the win, as he pitched 1.1 innings of relief, which was followed by four combined innings of one-hit relief by
A.J. Pino,
Gannon Brady,
Jordan Rodarte, and
Jack Clark, who each pitched one inning.
RARE AIR: Entering this week's conference series, freshman
Taylor Kirk has had an impressive first season with the Rams, standing among the team leaders in batting average (.348), runs scored (38), walks (23), and stolen bases (19). As of late, he has been on a heater, hitting safely in 16 straight games, while reaching base in 25 consecutive games. Since 1995, the 16-game hit streak is tied for the fourth longest with John Mollicone (2/24-3/27/2007).
Hit streaks since 1995:
22 - Cian Sahler (3/27/2024 – 5/4/2024)
18 - Jason Coules (2/19/2020 – 3/10/2021)
17 - Mike Marchiano (4/20 – 5/11/1997)
16 - John Mollicone (2/24 – 3/27/2007)
16 - Taylor Kirk (3/21/2025 – present)
MEN OF STEAL: The Rams have gotten back into a stealing mode with 87 stolen bases this season, ranking 16
th in the NCAA, entering this weekend's play, while being 21
st in stolen bases per game (2.35). Fordham has 10 players with at least three stolen bases this season, led by
Daniel Bucciero, who is 19
th in the country with 23.
WHO'S NEXT: Following this series, Fordham has a pair of mid-week contests next week, starting with a road trip to Fairfield on Tuesday, April 22
nd, while hosting Manhattan on Wednesday, April 23
rd.
