After starting the season with five consecutive losses, the Fordham baseball team made a complete turnaround and won 11 of its next 13 games, including 10 wins in a row to bring its record to 11-7 overall (1-2 conference).
"It's always nice to string a couple wins together," senior second baseman Eric Reese said. "But the bottom line is, the teams we beat during the winning streak were teams we were supposed to beat, granted, we still have to go out there and execute."
The first win of the season came in the Battle of the Bronx on Mar. 5 as Fordham hosted and beat Manhattan College 9-2 at Houlihan Park, giving junior pitcher John Young his first career win.
The Rams followed up that victory by traveling to Petersburg, Va. to take on the Farleigh Dickinson Knights in a pair of double headers on Mar. 8 and 9. The Rams swept the series, beating the Knights on day one by the scores of 25-10 and 2-1, and on day two by the score of 9-6 twice.
The 25 runs in the first game of the series marks, by far, the most runs the Rams have scored this season. Senior catcher Chris Kaible drove in four of the runs while senior shortstop Rich Goulian scored five times.
"We can score runs when we are hitting on all cylinders," Reese, who scored four times said. "But 25 runs, yes, that was a bit of a shocker."
Next up for the Rams was a one game series on Mar. 12 against Virginia Tech. The match-up was the first time the two teams faced each other since the 1998 Atlantic 10 Championship and, just as they had 10 years earlier, the Rams once again beat the Hokies.
The Rams were down by four runs as early as the second inning but were able to pull away in the fourth inning with an offensive onslaught. The Rams scored eight runs in the inning and took a 10-5 lead. After the Rams loaded the bases with three consecutive singles, they scored three runs as Goulian walked, Reese reached on an error and Kaible walked to take a 6-5 lead. Then junior first baseman Ryan McCrann hit a double to plate two runners. Finally, junior left fielder Bobby DiNardo, who started the inning with a solo homerun, finished it with a two-run double of his own to give the Rams a 10-5 lead, which they would not relinquish on the way to a 13-12 victory.
The Rams came back to Rose Hill on Mar. 14 to take on Fairfield University. Senior pitcher Tom Davis was once again superb as he went seven innings, allowing one earned run to go along with seven strikeouts in Fordham's 9-6 win. The win also marked the 100th career win for Head Coach Nick Restaino in only his fourth season with the team.
The very next day, the Rams hosted a double header against Sacred Heart University. The Rams won both games with great pitching performances as they beat Sacred Heart with the scores of 3-1 and 8-1.
Junior starting pitchers Peter Kennelly and Jake Rabinowitz both had career days. Game one pitcher Kennelly threw for five innings, allowing five hits and one earned run while striking out a career-high seven batters. Game two pitcher Rabinowitz fared slightly better, going for seven innings and allowing only one hit and no earned runs while striking out a career-high 10.
The final tune-up game before the beginning of conference play was at home against NY Tech on the 18th. Once again, the Rams pitchers dominated a weaker opponent as five pitchers combined to allow only one hit in the team's 10-1 win. Freshman pitcher Max Krakowiak threw the first five innings for the Rams, allowing no hits, to earn his first career win. The no-hitter was broken up two innings later in the seventh inning when George Carroll connected on a two-out single off junior reliever Greg Dimmling.
The first conference opponent of the season was St. Bonaventure as the Bonnies visited Houlihan Park from Mar. 20-22 for a three-game series. The Fordham bats went cold in the first game as they only managed three hits in a 4-0 loss and wasted another good pitching effort by Davis who took the loss after going eight innings allowing only one earned run. The loss also snapped the team's 10-game win streak.
The Rams put up more of a fight in the second game of the series but still came up short, losing in extra innings by a score of 3-2. This time, the Rams were able to string together eleven hits but could not get the timely hit they needed to win the game.
Reese got things started in the 11th inning by hitting a double down the right field line. With a base open, Kaible was intentionally walked. With two runners on and nobody out, DiNardio laid down a sacrifice bunt, moving over the runners. Third baseman Rob Iacono was intentionally walked to load the bases. The next two batters failed to come through in the clutch as junior pinch-hitter John Kahn struck out and freshman left fielder Alex Kenny grounded into a fielder's choice. The Bonnies would score the winning run the next inning, and the Rams were once again unable to answer, leaving them with their second consecutive loss.
"The first two days they pitched, they executed, they had timely hitting and good defense," Reese said. "We pitched but didn't execute in any of the other phases."
The Rams would make amends in the series finale as they were able to perform in all phases of the game, winning by the score of 9-7, giving the team its first conference victory.
The Bonnies had a 4-1 lead after the fourth inning but, this time, the Rams were able to respond, scoring three runs in the fifth inning to tie the game. The Rams took the lead for good in the next inning as Kaible led off with a walk, moved to second on a sacrifice by junior right fielder P.J. Come and scored on a Kenny single. After failing to come through in the clutch in the last game, Kenny delivered in this one as he went 3-3 with two RBI and 3 runs scored.
On Mar. 25, the Rams traveled to Poughkeepsie, NY to take on the Marist Red Foxes. Unfortunately, the Rams put up one of their more disappointing efforts, falling to a lesser opponent by a score of 15-4.
The Rams hosted Stony Brook on Mar. 26 and will travel to St. Louis, Mo. to take on conference foe St. Louis University in a three-game series from Mar. 28-30.
2008 Woodie Awards
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