Baseball Sweeps St. Louis Behind Pitching

By Sam Belden

Two weeks ago, Fordham baseball took two out of three games from George Washington on the strength of its pitching, which allowed just seven runs over the course of the 26 innings. Last week, the Rams continued the trend, surrendering just five runs over three games and completing a sweep of Atlantic 10 opponent Saint Louis. The three victories afforded Fordham some much-needed breathing room in the tightly- bunched conference standings; it is currently tied for fifth, and only the top seven teams will qualify for the Atlantic 10 Championship.

Last Wednesday, the Rams kicked off the cycle by hosting Columbia. While Fordham has made a habit out of beating the Lions in their yearly football matchup, the tables were turned in this year’s baseball game between the two schools.

Junior starting pitcher Cody Johnson gave up four runs in three innings, and his reliever, freshman Alex Hladik, surrendered six in less than one. In the bottom of the fourth inning, senior designated hitter Jordan Gajdos connected for a solo home run, his first of the season, but in the top of the fifth, junior pitcher Joseph Serrapica allowed Columbia to load the bases and watched Lions shortstop Randell Kanemaru hit a grand slam and extend his team’s lead to 13 runs. The next two innings were quiet ones offensively, but in the top of the eighth, freshman reliever Parker Barnell gave up two additional runs to Columbia’s potent offense. In the bottom of the ninth, junior infielder Tim O’Conner hit a two run shot, but those were the last runs of the game. The final score stood at Columbia 16, Fordham 3.

With that lopsided loss in the rearview mirror, Fordham shifted its focus toward last weekend’s three game slate against Saint Louis. In the first game, the Rams got off to an early lead when shortstop Joseph DeVito doubled in the second inning, bringing home a pair of runs. While the Billikens cut Fordham’s lead in half with a run in the top of the fifth inning, the Rams responded in the bottom when junior third baseman Ian Edmiston hit a single to left center field, bringing home two more and putting his team up by three. Sophomore starting pitcher Greg Weissert nearly lost his lead by surrendering a pair of RBI singles in the seventh and eighth innings, but junior reliever Jimmy Murphy, who has thrived since taking over closing duties for the Rams, secured the final five outs. Fordham held on, winning the game by a score of four runs to three.

In the next game, Fordham got off to another fast start, loading up the bases in the bottom of the first inning. After junior catcher Charles Galiano made the first out of the frame, sophomore right fielder Mark Donadio reached first base on a fielder’s choice; everyone was safe, and junior second baseman Joseph Runco crossed the plate for the first run of the game. Soon after, DeVito blasted a hit to left center. Realistically, it should have resulted in just two runs for the Rams, but a fielding error from Billikens center fielder Parker Snyatinski allowed Donadio to cross the plate and left DeVito standing at third base with two outs. While pitching to Gajdos, Saint Louis starting pitcher Josh Moore threw a wild pitch and allowed DeVito to score, resulting in his early exit from the game after just two thirds of an inning. At the end of the frame, Fordham had already taken a five run lead.

While junior starter Brett Kennedy surrendered a pair of runs to the Billikens in the third inning, those were the only ones that Saint Louis was able to score all game. Meanwhile, the Rams tacked on a pair of insurance runs. In the bottom of the third, junior left fielder Ryan McNally crossed the plate on a passed ball allowed by Saint Louis catcher James Morisano, and in the eighth, Runco slapped an RBI single, scoring O’Connor. Meanwhile, Kennedy stayed in for most of the game, lasting seven innings. Serrapica took the ball from him and finished the game, and the Rams took it by a score of seven runs to two.

The third and final game of the series was a hotly contested pitchers duel. In the third inning, Runco and sophomore first baseman Matthew Kozuch got on base and scored off of Galiano’s home run to left field, giving the Rams a three run lead. Those were the first and last runs to cross the plate during the game. Billikens starter Matt Eckelman exited the game after that inning, but his reliever, Zach Girrens, was excellent, throwing five perfect innings the rest of the way. However, the damage was done. Fordham freshman starter Ben Greenberg threw eight scoreless innings, preventing Saint Louis from putting a dent in the relatively small lead. Serrapica pitched the ninth, picking up the save and completing the shutout as the Rams completed their sweep.

Once again, Fordham’s pitchers were the stars of the series. In 24 innings, they gave up just five runs, good for an ERA of 1.88.

“Our pitching has really turned it on,” said head coach Kevin Leighton. “Pitching and defense gives you a chance to win every game.”