The Fordham baseball team started Atlantic 10 (A10) conference play this weekend with a bang as it defeated the St. Bonaventure University (SBU) Bonnies in three out of four contests at Houlihan Park. Propelled by dominant pitching and timely hitting, the Rams now sit in second place in the A10 standings.

The series consisted of two doubleheaders, one on Friday, April 9, and one on Saturday, April 10. Starter Cameron Knox, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’24, opened the first game with three scoreless frames. Fordham kicked off the scoring with a three-run fourth inning highlighted by a two-run single by Will Findlay, Gabelli School of Business at Rose Hill (GSBRH) ’23. 

Brooks Ey, FCRH ’24, took the mound in the fourth and held his own until a big sixth inning from St. Bonaventure shifted the game’s momentum completely. Ey was tagged for five runs, surrendering two walks followed by four straight hits. The Bonnies added two more runs in the top of the eighth, putting the game out of reach. The Rams patched together a rally in the ninth but fell short, 7-4. 

The second game of Friday’s doubleheader was a different story for Fordham. Garrett Crowley, GSBRH ’22, had a career day on the mound, striking out 15 over seven masterful innings. The big lefthander only gave up two hits (one home run in the first) and walked one. 

Fordham ultimately won the second game, 4-1, fueled by Crowley’s excellent outing and an eight-hit attack. The game was cut short after seven innings due to rain, but the Rams were still able to even the series at one game apiece. 

The next day, Fordham took the third game thanks to another superb outing from a Rams lefty — Matt Mikulski, FCRH ’21. He struck out a career-high 16 and allowed only one hit in his second consecutive complete-game shutout. His performance vaulted him into fourth place on Fordham’s career strikeouts list and earned him his third consecutive A10 Pitcher of the Week award.

After the score was deadlocked at zero for five innings, designated hitter Zach Selinger, FCRH ’23, delivered a clutch RBI single to put Fordham ahead.

Mikulski improved to 5-0 with a 0.96 ERA in 37.2 innings pitched with 68 strikeouts. After Saturday’s performance, he leads the A10 in ERA, hits allowed per nine innings, strikeouts and strikeouts per nine innings. Fordham hopes for more of the same from him as the team progresses through conference play. 

Fueled by Mikulski’s dominance on the hill, the Rams won the third game with relative ease. After the score was deadlocked at zero for five innings, designated hitter Zach Selinger, FCRH ’23, delivered a clutch RBI single to put Fordham ahead. One run was all the Rams needed, but third baseman Nick Labella, FCRH ’21, followed up Selinger with a two-run single to put Fordham ahead 3-0. 

After the Rams sealed their 3-0 victory in seven innings, the final game of the four-game series began. Unlike the previous two contests, this game was a back-and-forth offensive battle. Starting pitcher Gabe Karslo, GSBRH ’22, had a solid outing; he struck out six batters over six strong innings and let in only two runs. 

After Karslo allowed two runs in the top of the first, the Rams responded immediately with a couple of strong offensive sets. A two-run single off the bat of Casey Brown, FCRH ’21, knotted the score at two. In the bottom of the second, a towering solo home run to center field by Trey Maeker, FCRH ’24, and a Selinger RBI single put Fordham ahead 4-2. 

Two more Fordham runs in the third and the sixth put the Rams up by four going into the seventh inning. It was at this point that their grip on the game began to weaken, as a couple of SBU rallies poked holes in the Fordham bullpen. Reliever Joseph Quintal, GSBRH ’21, struggled to find the zone in the eighth inning as he walked two batters and surrendered three wild pitches. 

Quintal ultimately collected himself in the ninth, clinching a tight 7-5 victory and capping the series off with yet another win for Fordham. On Tuesday, Fordham hosted Army West Point at Houlihan Park. The Rams came away with a tight 3-2 victory thanks to a solid bullpen and a late sacrifice fly by Labella, improving their overall record to 16-7. After a small break, they will travel to Kingston, Rhode Island, to take on the University of Rhode Island in a four-game conference series.