Richmond, Va. – (April 26, 2025) – Needing a bounce back performance following Friday's loss, Fordham's
Mike Rabayda and
Daniel Bucciero stepped up for the Rams on Saturday, as Rabayda pitched a complete game, while Bucciero recorded a career-high five hits in an 11-1 Fordham win at VCU.
VCU opened the scoring in the first, as Jacob Lee hit a solo home run to left, his 11
th of the season, for a 1-0 lead.
Fordham came back immediately with a three-run second inning for a 3-1 lead.
Matt Dieguez was hit by a pitch with
Tommy Markey drawing a walk. After a sacrifice bunt,
Taylor Kirk lined a two-run double to right center, scoring both runners.
Daniel Bucciero followed with an RBI-double to left center, scoring Kirk from second.
The Maroon and White added to its lead with three more runs in the third and fourth innings for a 9-1 advantage. In the third, Dieguez collected an RBI-double, while
Reid Lapekas drilled a two-run single to center. Then in the fourth, Dieguez and Lapekas did the damage again, in reverse with Dieguez being credited with an RBI-single, while Lapekas recorded a two-run double down the left field line.
Bucciero made it a 10-1 game in the fifth, as he crushed a solo home run to left for his seventh home run of the season. The final run for the Rams came on a sacrifice fly by
Tommy McAndrews in the eighth for the 11-1 score.
Mike Rabayda (2-4) had his finest outing of the season to support the Fordham offense, pitching the first Fordham nine-inning, complete game since Matt Mikulski on April 3, 2021. He limited VCU to just one run on six hits to go with seven strikeouts.
At the plate, Bucciero recorded his first career five-hit game, going 5-for-6 with a double, a home run, and two RBI, while Lapekas was 2-for-4 with a double and a season-high four RBI. Kirk finished 3-for-6 with a double and two RBI with McAndrews also having three hits and two runs scored.
The rubber game of this series is set for 1:00 PM on Sunday.
