Baseball opens the A-10 Play in Dayton on Friday

Bronx, NY (March 28, 2024) Atlantic 10 Baseball kicks off conference play this weekend as the Fordham Rams head to Dayton for a three-game series with the Flyers at Woerner Field at AES Ohio Stadium. It is Fordham's first trip to Dayton since 2019 with games on Friday at 4 p.m., Saturday at 1 p.m. and Sunday afternoon.

Fordham (8-16) and Dayton (15-10) are looking to get back into the win column as both teams have lost their last two games. The Rams lost to St. John's and Stony Brook on Sunday and Wednesday, respectively, while Dayton dropped the final two games of their four-game series at Butler.

LIKELY STARTERS:

Friday Fordham RHP Declan Lavelle (2-3, 3.94 ERA) at Dayton LHP Eli Majick (3-1, 4.37 ERA)
Saturday Fordham RHP Koen Smit (0-1, 5.14 ERA) at Dayton RHP Chris Peguero (0-3, 6.75 ERA)
Sunday Fordham TBA at Dayton – TBA

SERIES HISTORY: Fordham and Dayton have met 42 times as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference, with the Rams holding a 22-20 lead in the all-time series. The team last met for a three-game series in 2022 at Houlihan Park, where the Rams clinched the series victory with victories in games two and three. This is the first series in Dayton since 2019.

OUTLOOK FOR THE OPPONENT: The Flyers are 15-10 this season and are led by one of the best freshmen in the Atlantic 10 in David Mendez. Mendez leads the team with a .417 batting average to go with 22 runs scored, four doubles, two triples, three home runs and 23 RBI. Carlos Castillo is also having a great season at the plate, batting .357 with 25 runs scored, eight doubles, three home runs and 20 RBI. Eddie Yamin IV and Ryan MacDougall provided the strength in Dayton's lineup, combining for 11 home runs and 47 RBI this season. On the mound, Dayton boasts a team ERA of 6.06, led by Eli Majick, who is 3-1 this year with a 4.37 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 22.2 innings pitched.

LAST TIMEOUT (27/3): After scoring in the top of the seventh inning, the Fordham Rams had some momentum on Wednesday afternoon, coming within 3-1 of the Stony Brook Seawolves. However, Stony Brook scored twice in the seventh and nine times in the eighth and pulled away for a 14-3 victory over the Rams at Joe Nathan Stadium.

Stony Brook scored once in the first, second and fifth inning to build a 3-0 lead, highlighted by an RBI single by Brett Paulsen in the first inning.

Fordham came within two runs at 3-1 in the top of the seventh inning. Steve Luttazi received a leadoff walk and advanced to second base on a single Tommy McAndrews. Henry Pelinski then singled through the left side to score Luttazi. However, the rally was stopped by a line drive double play and a grounder, leaving the Rams behind by two.

The Seawolves quickly got the run back on an Erik Paulsen solo home run and added another on a bases-loaded walk to go up 5-1 after seven innings. Stony Brook then blew the game open with a nine-run eighth inning, with the big hit being a two-run single by Cal Parrillo. Fordham scored a pair of runs in the ninth for the 14-3 final score. The Rams loaded the bases with one out and scored runs on an RBI single from Jack Vallario and a fielder's choice Matt Dieguez.

Andres Perez (1-1) took the loss, allowing two runs over two innings in his first career start. Offensively, the Rams collected five hits, with Luttazi, McAndrews and Pelinski each going 1-for-3 with a run scored.

LIGHTEN IT: Over the past eleven games, it has been the bottom of the rankings that has done the damage Cian Sahler, Nico BozaAnd Chris Genaro are batting .333 or better and have a combined 27 RBI in that stretch Arik Berg has taken the mound and gone 3-0 with a 1.74 ERA and 13 strikeouts over his last five appearances Aidan Dowd is 1-1 with a 0.00 ERA and 13 strikeouts in his last three starts.

RAMSES CHALLENGE: Show your support for Fordham Baseball all season long by signing up for the Ramses Challenge! Whether it's wins, home run hits or strikeouts during the 2024 season, now is the perfect time to give back to the program and its student-athletes. Make your pledge by visiting FordhamSports.com/Ramses Challenge.

WHO'S NEXT: After this weekend, Fordham returns home for four straight games, starting with a home game against Monmouth on Tuesday, April 2^NL at 3:00 PM. The Rams next host Richmond for a three-game series April 5-7.