The Fordham baseball team lost two out of three games in its series against the St. Joseph’s University (SJU) Hawks. Following the series loss, the Rams now hold a 5-10 conference record in 2022 and are currently 11th in the Atlantic 10 (A10) standings.

With just three weekends remaining in the regular season, it is becoming more and more likely that Fordham will miss the postseason for the second year in a row. The Rams’ struggles were apparent in early March, and they haven’t improved significantly since. Though the team’s final two games against the Hawks were more competitive, the first on Friday, April 29, may be more emblematic of Fordham’s season as a whole. The game was effectively over after the second inning.

In his first start since sustaining an injury on April 2, pitcher Gabe Karslo, Gabelli School of Business at Rose Hill (GSBRH) ’22, resumed his role as the de facto ace in the Rams’ middling rotation. He didn’t impress in his return, walking the first two batters of the game before giving up a mammoth three-run home run to the Hawks’ third baseman Nate Thomas, SJU ’22. Karslo went on to allow seven runs on five hits and three walks in one inning. He did not come back out for the second inning.

In Fordham’s first turn at the plate, the team managed a rally of its own, and a double by Will Findlay, GSBRH ’23, with the bases loaded drove in all three runners and cut the deficit to four. But St. Joe’s proved relentless in the top of the second, scoring six more runs against relief pitcher Jake Clark, GSBRH ’24. 

With a comfortable 13-3 lead after two frames, the Hawks cruised through the rest of the game. The Rams managed to earn meaningless runs in the later stages but lost by a devastating 16-9 final score.

Before the second game on Saturday, Fordham held a ceremony to honor former Head Coach Dan “Skip” Gallagher, who passed away at the age of 84 in 2020. From 1984 to 2004, Gallagher revitalized the Fordham program after years of mediocrity, earning 518 wins and seven conference championships in his illustrious career. Remembering the legacy of the legendary coach was the highlight of a day that proved uneventful for the Rams.

The sun was shining throughout the day at Rose Hill, but there were no stars on the field for Fordham.

The second game started much slower than the previous one, with neither team having any runs on the board after the first two innings. In the top of the third, Thomas struck again with his second three-run homer of the weekend, driving in Brett Callahan and Conlan Wall, both SJU ’24, who were walked. In the fourth, Tim Cavanaugh, SJU ’22, scored on a fly ball hit by Luca Trigiani, SJU ’23, giving the Hawks a 4-0 lead. 

The sun was shining throughout the day at Rose Hill, but there were no stars on the field for Fordham. The Rams’ only scoring play of the game was made possible by two hits from Chris Genaro, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’24, and Jack Harnisch, GSBRH ’22, and two errors from the Hawks in the bottom of the fourth. With the bases loaded and two outs, Ryan Thiesse, FCRH ’24, reached first base on a fielding error by Trigiani, sending Andy Semo, GSBRH ’22, and Genaro home.

The Rams were trailing 4-2 going into the fifth inning, but neither team managed to score again. The Hawks’ relief pitching secured them another victory. Matt McShane, SJU ’25, and Ryan Devine, SJU ’22, were nearly perfect in the final four and two-thirds innings and did not allow any hits. 

Though the Rams lost, Cameron Knox, FCRH ’24, and Joseph Quintal, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences ’22, were effective on the mound, allowing only five hits throughout the game. In six innings as the starter, Knox also struck out seven batters, a career high for the sophomore.

On Sunday, Fordham finally put the pieces together, pairing solid pitching with timely hitting for their fifth conference victory of the season. Rams batters finally broke through against the Hawks’ bullpen, scoring six runs after the fifth inning. Meanwhile, starting pitcher Brooks Ey, FCRH ’24, threw seven innings while allowing two runs on six hits. Despite losing the series, the team went on to win 7-3 in the third game and avoided the sweep.

The victory was a necessary one for Fordham, but much more was needed this weekend for the Rams as they attempt to sneak into the playoffs with just 11 scheduled games left. The team has still only won a single conference series this season but will look to improve on the road against the University of Rhode Island next weekend.

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