After a series of weather cancellations, the Fordham men’s baseball team resumed play, though with underwhelming success, as they were swept in their most recent six games. The Rams started their losing streak earlier this month against Florida Atlantic University, and have faced four different opponents since. Their opponents included Long Island University (LIU) and Yale, before facing LIU again two days later. The Rams continued their homestand against Wagner College last Wednesday for a one-game series and three game series against Marist College last weekend.

In the first game against LIU, the Rams struggled to stop the home runs pouring out of the Sharks dugout. LIU’s E.J. Exposito hit two home runs and drove in four runs, and additional home runs came in from Colin Adams and Luke Turner, amounting to a grand total of four during the game.

The Rams managed to put up single runs in the first, third, sixth and eighth innings. Senior infielder Jack Harnisch slammed a solo home run in the first inning, later going 2-for-4 in the series. Senior catcher Andy Semo had an RBI-single in the third inning and freshman first baseman T.J. Wachter recorded a sacrifice fly in the eighth. The Rams’ run in the sixth inning came from senior outfielder Jason Coules, who singled, stole second and third and scored on a failed pickoff attempt. Ultimately, it was not enough, as the Rams dropped the game 9-4 and went on to face Yale for game two.
Game two featured strong pitching from Yale’s Mike Walsh, who struck out nine batters over six innings, allowing just one unearned run. Fordham’s runs came in the sixth and eighth innings on an RBI-groundout by Wachter and a Yale error. With a final score of 11-2 in favor of Yale, the Rams bats struggled to make up ground.

In a slugfest against Wagner College, both teams showcased their strong hitting abilities. Both teams were matched at 2-12 for the season and continued their matchup by recording two runs each in the first. The Rams got on the board thanks to Semo who singled to right field to score senior outfielder Jake Guercio. Then, the freshman outfielder Sebastian Mexico hit a sacrifice fly out to left in order to score Coules.
The Seahawks regained the lead in the second with three runs. The Rams cut that deficit to 5-4 in the fourth inning, as Mexico led off with a double and was followed by RBI-doubles by junior Zach Selinger and Wachter. For the Rams, sophomore shortstop Nico Boza registered a two-run double and Harnisch slammed a three-run double to highlight the scoring. The Rams inched closer, making the score 14-11 in the seventh inning. Mexico scored on a sacrifice fly by sophomore third baseman Michael Taylor.
Wagner put an end to the Rams’ comeback, getting a three-run home run in the eighth, for the 19-11 final. Mexico led the team, finishing 2-for-3 with a double, three runs scored and an RBI, while Harnisch helped drive in three runs.

Shifting their focus to the series against Marist, game one almost had potential to snap the long losing streak. The Rams forced the game into extra innings, however, they came up short of a victory.
The Red Foxes were up by three runs going into the third inning and after a two-out walk to Wachter, Semo hit a ground ball to third base, allowing Wachter to score from first base.

Fordham cut the deficit to 3-2 in the bottom of the fifth, when sophomore outfielder Ryan Thiesse led off with a solo home run to left, his first of the season. The Rams then grabbed a 4-3 lead in the sixth. With runners at first and second and one out, Mexico drove a single to left to load the bases, but the left fielder overran the ball, allowing Selinger to score. Wachter later singled up the middle to score sophomore shortstop Chris Genaro to give the Rams the lead.

The lead held up until the eighth, when Marist tied the game on a bases-loaded walk. The score stayed tied at four all the way to the 11th, when the Red Foxes recorded six runs to secure a 10-4 win.
Game two featured hot Marist bats as the Red Foxes jumped out to a 5-0 lead immediately in the first inning, featuring a two run and three run home-run.

The Rams put up one run while the Red Foxes scored a whopping nine over three innings, making their lead 14-1. Fordham scored single runs in the fourth and fifth innings, as junior second baseman Will Findlay registered an RBI-double, while Genaro hit a solo home run to left for his first of the season and first of his career. Marist finished their scoring with two runs in the sixth and one in the eighth inning for their 17-run total.

Fordham put up two runs late in the game, but to no avail. The eighth inning saw an RBI-single from Diego Prieto, while in the ninth inning, Genaro connected on a three-run home run for his first career multi-home run game. But, it was not nearly enough to contend with the power hitting and pitching of the Red Foxes, ending the game at a score of 17-7.

For their final game of the series, the Rams faced strong pitching from Marist’s Alex Pansini who tossed 7.2 innings with only five hits. The only two runs of the game came in the second inning, as Marist loaded the bases on two walks and a single with no outs.

Fordham held Marist to just those two runs, turning a pair of double plays and getting clutch relief performances by senior Gabe Karslo and junior Ben Kovel. Karslo threw 5.2 scoreless innings of five-hit relief with seven strikeouts, while Kovel added two shutout innings of relief, allowing one hit with two strikeouts. Fordham had opportunities to get on the board, but couldn’t make it home.
With attempts in the first, eighth and ninth, the Rams left runners stranded in scoring position, falling to the Red Foxes 2-0 for their ninth straight loss in a row.

Sitting at 2-15, there is still time for Fordham to improve their record. The Rams have only four more games before their first Atlantic 10 game of the season against St. Louis University.
Fordham’s next game is a matchup at Jack Coffey Field against the Monmouth University Hawks on Friday at 3 p.m.