4/12/2013 12:00:00 AM

Baseball Set For Three-Game Series Against URI

April 12, 2013

Bronx, N.Y. - The Fordham baseball team will host its first home weekend series in almost a month, as the Rams host the Rhode Island Rams in a three-game Atlantic 10 series. It will be a special weekend for Fordham, as all weekend Fordham will be raising funds to support the Wounded Warrior Project, while on Saturday, Fordham will honor the 20th anniversary if it 1993 ECAC Championship.

SCOUTING RHODE ISLAND: Rhode Island come into today's contest at 15-17 overall, 3-3 in the Atlantic 10, having played a very difficult non-conference slate with games against Florida State, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Virginia Tech, Notre Dame, and Wake Forest. The Rams are batting .243 as a team, but have had a very good season on the mound with a 3.98 ERA. Rhode Island has also been very effective on the basepaths, stealing 67 bases.

Offensively, Connor Foreman leads the team with a .308 average to go with nine RBI and seven stolen bases. Jeff Roy, the 2012 A-10 Player of the Year, has also had a productive campaign, going 19-19 on stolen base attempts, while scoring 21 runs at the top of the URI lineup.

On the hill, Rhode Island has a formidable 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation with Sean Furney and Mike Bradstreet. Furney is 3-3 with a 1.59 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 56.2 innings, while Bradstreet is 4-3 with a 3.73 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 50.2 innings.

RAMS RAISING FUNDS FOR THE WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT THIS WEEKEND: After a very successful campaign last year that raised over $5,000, the Fordham baseball team will once again take part in raising funds to support the Wounded Warrior Project during this weekend's home series against Rhode Island. The Rams will take pledges and sell camouflage hats at the main entrance to Houlihan Park.

Set up to honor and empower U.S. service members, who have been wounded in the line of duty, the Wounded Warrior Project's vision is to foster the most successful, well-adjusted generation of wounded service members in our nation's history.

The Project raises awareness and enlists the public's aid for the needs of injured service members, and helps injured service members aid and assist each other by providing unique, direct programs and services to meet their needs.

FORDHAM BASEBALL TO HONOR 1993 PATRIOT LEAGUE AND ECAC CHAMPIONSHIP SQUAD ON SATURDAY: Fordham baseball welcome back its 1993 squad on Saturday afternoon to honor the 20th anniversary of the 1993 team, which won both the Patriot League and ECAC Championship, en route to an NCAA Regional appearance. Each title came in dramatic fashion, as Fordham defeated Navy in games two and three of the Championship series to capture the Patriot League title, while in the ECAC Championship, the Rams won an epic battle with LeMoyne, 15-14. The 1993 team featured seven All-Patriot League selections, including four First Team members, Bill Conkling, Joe Mackey, Mike Butler, and Joe Schultz, and three Second Team selections, Henry Toolan, Jerry Geigle, and Tom Caldara.

LAST TIME OUT: Army's Justin Reece registered three hits and two runs scored, while Harold Earls has a bases loaded triple in the fourth, as the Black Knights topped the Fordham Rams, 8-2, at Doubleday Field.

Fordham got on the board right away in the first inning, as Tim Swatek led off with a double to left center, and quickly scored on an RBI-single by Joseph Runco.

Army got their offense going in the third inning, netting four runs on three hits and an error. The Black Knights received RBI-singles by Brock Davidson and Patrick Mescher and a sacrifice fly by Jacob Page to highlight the rally.

The Black Knights increased their lead to 8-1 in the fourth, as Army opened the inning with three straight singles and got a bases clearing triple by Earls to make it a 7-1 game. Mescher followed with his second RBI-single of the game to score Earls from third, increasing the lead to 8-1.

Fordham got a run in the seventh for a final score of 8-2. Ryan McNally started the inning with a walk, stole second, and scored on an RBI-single by Ryan Phelan.

Army's Erik Washburn (1-0) earned the win, pitching three innings of scoreless relief. Fordham starting pitcher Cody Johnson (2-2) took the loss, allowing seven earned runs on nine hits in four innings of work. Ryan Fedak pitched a career-long four innings for the Rams, giving up just three hits and no runs.

At the plate, Fordham managed four hits on the afternoon. Phelan was 1-for-1 with an RBI, a walk, and a hit by pitch, while Swatek was 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored. Runco and Charles Galiano had the remaining hits for Fordham.

At the plate, Ryan McNally had two of the Rams' five hits, while Swatek and Phelan each had a hit and a run scored. Mike Mauri had the Rams' final hit, going 1-for-2 with two walks.

UPCOMING GAMES: The Rams will face off against a pair of MAAC opponents for their two mid-week games this week. Fordham will host Iona on Tuesday, April 16th at 7:00 PM, and then travel to Siena for a game on Wednesday, April 17th at 3:30 PM.

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