What looked like a promising start to a seven-game stretch of games for Fordham Baseball quickly turned sideways by the end as they started off 2-2 but finished 2-5.
The Rams started with three exhibition matches in Deland, Fla., the first against the United States Military Academy West Point, where the Rams picked up their first win of the season.
Fordham got on the board early, scoring five in the second inning after capitalizing on three Army errors. With two runners in scoring position, after a base hit and an error, freshman Madden Ocko came through with a two-run double to left. Two more army errors and an RBI single from sophomore Daniel Bucciero scored three more runs in the inning to give them a commanding 5-0 lead.
After a Black Knights run in the fourth to make it a 5-1 game, Fordham clapped back with two of their own in the bottom half. Senior Ryan Thiesse singled, which was followed by a Bucciero run-scoring triple. Bucciero scored a batter later on fellow sophomore Tommy McAndrews’s RBI groundout, giving Fordham a 7-1 lead.
With the bases loaded in the fifth inning, the Rams added to the lead after senior Chris Genaro drove in two on a single. The bullpen gave up six runs to make it a close game late at 9-7, but freshman Koen Smith shut the door in the ninth to earn Fordham’s first win of the year and his first collegiate save.
Starter senior Declan Lavelle pitched a gem for the Rams, going five innings of one-run ball while punching out five, earning his first win of the young season.
In the second game of the three down in Florida, Fordham didn’t fare well against the University of Maine. After going down into a 2-0 hole in the first inning, the Rams fought back with two of their own in the second. A walk and hit by pitch put two on for senior Michael Brueser, who scored one with a double. The following batter, Ocko, hit a sac fly to right to score the second run of the inning and tie the game at two.
The rest of the game was all Maine, scoring 14 unanswered runs in the 16-2 blowout seven-inning game. It was a rough day for Fordham pitching as they could not find the zone, allowing 14 total walks.
The final game of the Florida trip was against the hosting Stetson University.
Fordham once again fell into a 2-0 hole early on after Stetson scored twice in the first inning. In the third, the Rams cut the lead in half after a solo home run from senior Nico Boza.
However, that would be the only run of the game Fordham would push across, with only four hits on the day. Two of the four came from Genaro, with Brueser having the final hit. Along with the home run, Boza also had two walks.
Stetson scored seven more times on the day and ran away with the 9-1 win. Dropping Fordham to 1-5 on the season after the 1-2 weekend.
The Rams returned to the Bronx for their home opener versus Saint Peter’s on Wednesday, Feb. 28. On a rainy day, the offense came out to play, scoring 13 runs in a win.
The day started off with Fordham falling behind 3-0. In the second inning, the run spree began. Fordham played small ball to tie the game at three after a wild pitch, a sacrifice fly from Brueser and an RBI single from Thiesse.
In the third, the Rams capitalized on a dropped fly ball in center field, allowing graduate student Andrew Kanellis and McAndrews to score, giving Fordham a 5-3 lead. Saint Peter’s cut the lead in half in the fifth before Fordham’s offense exploded for an eight-run seventh inning. With one out, the Rams loaded up the bases and scored three runs, first on a Brueser walk, then a single from Ocko and lastly Genaro’s groundout.
With two outs, Fordham re-loaded the bases and scored on a two-run single from graduate student Henry Pelinski, an RBI single from Bucciero and a two-run double from McAndrews. The offensive outburst equated to a 13-4 Rams lead.
Saint Peter’s relayed off four runs in the eighth before Smith recorded the final four outs and the 13-8 win. Junior Andres Perez captured his first collegiate win, and McAndrews led the way on offense with two doubles.
Following the home opener, Fordham traveled down south again, this time to Spartansburg, S.C., to face off against Wofford College.
The first game of the series got rained out, meaning a doubleheader on Saturday, March 2, would start the series. The Rams jumped out in front in the first inning, with the duo of Bucciero and Andrews manufacturing a run after taking advantage of two Wofford errors.
In the bottom half of the inning, Wofford put up a run of their own with a leadoff home run. In the second, Fordham loaded the bases with only one out, but only managed one run, as the rally was halted. The score remained 2-1 Rams going into the fourth inning. In the fourth, the Terriers again tied the game with a solo shot.
Another solo homer from Wofford in the fifth inning put the Terriers up 3-2. In the eighth, Fordham hit a solo home run of their own from Kanellis to tie the game late at three. Unfortunately, in the bottom half of the inning, Wofford put together a rally that ended in a three-run home run. The Terriers went on to win the first game of the series 6-3.
Lavelle had another solid outing for the Rams, going six innings, striking out three and allowing the three solo homers.
It was a game to forget for the Rams in the second game of the doubleheader, getting blown out by a score of 29-3. Unable to overcome a 10-run first inning for Wofford dictated how the game would go.
In the final game of the series, Fordham didn’t fare too much better. Falling into an 8-0 hole by the fourth inning, which extended to 13-0 by the seventh. The Rams did muster to scratch across two runs in the eighth to lose 13-2.
The sweep at Wofford ended their seven-game period of games on a low note. They’ll look to bounce back with four straight home games, starting with a single game against Marist College on Wednesday, March 6, followed by a weekend series at the College of William and Mary.
