Bronx, N.Y. – (May 8, 2025) – The stretch run to the Atlantic 10 Baseball Championship continues this weekend for the Fordham Rams, as they welcome the Dayton Flyers to Houlihan Park for a three-game series.
With two series remaining, Fordham (21-28, 11-13 A-10) enters the weekend on the outside looking in at the playoff picture, sitting in eighth place, one spot out of the playoffs. However, the Rams can make up some ground against a team they are chasing this weekend in the Dayton Flyers (24-25, 12-12 A-10), who are tied with George Washington for the sixth-seventh slots in the playoffs.
SCOUTING REPORT: Dayton brings a high powered offense to Houlian Park this weekend, batting .306 as a team with 62 home runs and averaging 7.8 runs per game. The Flyers boast a pair of 50-RBI players in Michael DiMartini and Rylan Lujo. DiMartini is hitting .400 with 62 runs scored, 11 home runs, 54 RBI, and 31 stolen bases, while Lujo is batting .387 with 16 doubles, nine home runs, and 54 RBI. On the hill, Chris Peguero is the ace of the staff with a 5-3 record and 72 strikeouts over 65 innings, while Bennett LaPalm is the best arm in the bullpen, making 20 appearances with seven wins and one save.
PROBABLE STARTERS:
Friday – Fordham – RHP
Mike Rabayda (2-5, 5.34 ERA) vs. Dayton – RHP Chris Peguero (5-3, 6.09 ERA)
Saturday – Fordham – LHP
Ameer Hasan (1-1, 3.20 ERA) vs. Dayton – RHP J.J. Gatti (3-4, 5.85 ERA)
Sunday - Fordham – TBD vs. Dayton – TBD
SERIES HISTORY: Since the two teams joined the Atlantic 10, Fordham and Dayton have met 45 times with the Rams holding the slight edge with a 23-22 record. The squads faced off at Dayton last season in a three-game series, where Fordham took game one, 12-2, but saw the Flyers win the final two games, 12-6 and 6-5 in extra innings.
LAST TIME OUT (5/4): The Fordham Rams couldn't have asked for more out of starting pitcher
Ameer Hasan, holding the Rhode Island Rams off the scoreboard for the first six innings. However, URI found its way against the Fordham bullpen, scoring eight runs over the final three innings and holding off a late Fordham rally for an 8-7 win at Houlihan Park on Sunday.
With the game scoreless in the fourth inning, Fordham took an opening 5-0 lead in the bottom of the frame.
Andrew Kanellis led off with a single to the left side, followed by a two-run home run by
Anthony Grabau, his sixth of the season. Later in the inning, Fordham loaded the bases and picked up an RBI-single by
Taylor Kirk and a two-run single by
Daniel Bucciero.
The score stayed that way until the seventh, when Rhode Island loaded the bases with one out. Rob Butler drew a walk that forced in a run, while a ground ball knocked in another to make it, 5-2.
URI then struck for the big inning in the eighth, scoring six times for an 8-5 advantage. With runners at second and third with one out, Nic Notarangelo drew a walk to load the bases. Scott Penney followed with a grand slam home run to center, his sixth of the year. Anthony DePino hit a two-run home run to right later in the inning, his 16
th of the season, to extend the lead.
Fordham would get baserunners aboard in the eight and ninth innings.
Cian Sahler led off with a double in the eighth, but ended up stranded at third base.
Madden Ocko drew a walk to start the ninth and came home on a two-run home run by Bucciero, his eighth of the season, making it, 8-7. Fordham unfortunately was unable to get any closer, as Brandon Hsu recorded the final three outs for his first save of the season.
The late inning rally spoiled a fantastic effort from Fordham's
Ameer Hasan, who received a no-decision, allowing two runs on five hits with three strikeouts over 6.1 innings of work.
Koen Smith (2-3) took the loss, allowing four runs on two hits in just a third of an inning. At the plate, Bucciero was 2-for-5 with a home run and four RBI, while
Matt Dieguez went 3-for-5 with a run scored and a stolen base.
RARE AIR: Freshman
Taylor Kirk has had an impressive first season with the Rams, standing among the team leaders in batting average (.344), runs scored (46), walks (25), and stolen bases (25). As of late, he has been on a heater, reaching base safely in his last 37 games, while having a 19-game hitting streak this season. The hit streak was the second-longest by a Ram since 1995 behind only
Cian Sahler's school record 22-game hit streak from last season, while his 37-game on-base streak makes him one of six Rams to reach at least 30 games in the last 30 seasons, joining Mike Marchiano (67), Eric Reese (49), Jason Coules (38), Bobby Kingsbury (37), and Danny Leach (31).
MEN OF STEAL: The Rams have gotten back into a stealing mode with 106 stolen bases this season, marking the 13
th time in program history that the team has reached the century mark. The Rams rank 21
st in the NCAA in total stolen bases and 27
th in per game average (2.22). Fordham has 10 players with at least three stolen bases this season, led by
Daniel Bucciero, who is 20
th in the country with 30.
Taylor Kirk is also at 20-plus steals with 25, marking the first time since 2019 that Fordham has had two players with 20 or more steals in the same season.
MILESTONE HIT: Daniel Bucciero joined some exclusive company in the Fordham record book last weekend. Having already cracked the top 15 in career doubles and home runs at Rose Hill, he hit his 20
th career home run joining Bobby Kingsbury (2000-02) as the only two Rams to ever have 100 runs scored, 40 doubles, 20 home runs, 100 RBI, and 50 stolen bases in their careers. He is also just 12 hits shy of 200 for his career at Fordham, as Bucciero looks to become the 16
th member of the 200-hit club.
WHO'S NEXT: Following this weekend's series, Fordham finishes the regular season with four road games. The Rams travel to Marist on May 13
th, while heading to George Mason for a three-game Atlantic 10 series, May 15-17.
