In the sunny Bronx weather, there were flashes of late rallies, timely hits and momentous moments. But each time, the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Rams found the bigger swing, longer inning and ultimately the final answer. By Sunday afternoon, a 7-6 loss sealed a three-game sweep over Fordham Rams Baseball at Houlihan Park, though the final score did not tell the full story.
Friday’s opener set the tone for the weekend, with Fordham showing resilience early and battling back to even the score after falling behind. VCU broke the deadlock with a decisive home run in the fifth inning, ultimately handing Fordham a 5-3 defeat. Even at that moment, freshman pitcher Caden Chavez’s pre-series message rang true. The Rams didn’t falter after mistakes; instead, they leaned into their identity. As Chavez explained, “making mistakes or even doing good things, we’re always supporting each other,” stressing that they “stick together through wins, [and] through losses.”
Saturday proved more lopsided score-wise, but not for lack of effort. VCU controlled the game from the start, overwhelming Fordham with a combination of consistent pitching and power hitting. Fordham managed just one run as VCU’s offense exploded for 13, including multiple home runs, turning the game into a blowout. For Fordham, it was a reminder of how quickly momentum can disappear when pitching and offense struggle to work together. Still, Chavez’s earlier framing of team balance, how “we may give up a few runs, but our offense will come back and help us out,” and vice versa, remained key for how the team viewed itself, even when neither side fully clicked.
The final game of the series was the closest Fordham came to flipping the weekend completely. After three scoreless innings, VCU broke through with a five-run fourth that made Fordham chase. Fordham responded with urgency and persistence. The offense chipped away over the middle innings, slowly narrowing the gap and keeping the game alive, culminating in a dramatic ninth inning. Fordham, trailing by three, strung three base runners, sparked by a key walk, before a home run suddenly made it a one-run game. With the dugout coming alive, the pressure shifted, and for the first time all weekend, the sweep felt briefly uncertain.Unfortunately, VCU’s bull plan held firm, recording the final outs before Fordham could complete the comeback, securing a 7-6 win and the sweep of the weekend. It was the kind of moment that validated Chavez’s belief that even when it “may look like we’re weaker in this aspect or whatnot,” internally, “that’s not what it actually is.”
Sunday’s narrow loss indicated that the gap between pitching and offense is not as wide as the results might suggest.
In the aftermath, Fordham’s focus quickly shifted to making improvements. Freshman pitcher Mason Dean explained he would “watch some videos of swings that didn’t produce results and plan to make corrections tomorrow,” demonstrating a willingness to learn rather than dwell on missed opportunities and mistakes. More importantly, Dean pointed to the team’s ability to reset, noting that as a team they have been “good at flushing losses and moving on to the next game.”
Despite the sweep, sophomore catcher Caden Young solidified the belief inside the locker room that has not wavered, noting that they “know how good [they] are” and believe strongly in their ability to “regroup from this.” That confidence is rooted in chemistry as much as talent, with such a “tight-knit squad” where players consistently have “each other’s back always.”
Young also emphasized that the season is far from defined by just one series. “We have a lot of ballgames left and a lot of desire to win,” he said.
On paper, it was a clean VCU sweep, but within those numbers sits a far more complex story: one that showcases late rallies and a team that continues to respond even when the margin is wide. From Friday’s competitive opener, to Saturday’s struggles against VCU, to Sunday’s near comeback, the Rams showed a consistent identity of never folding.
