BRONX, NY – Junior Jeff Stoddard (Branford, CT) pitched eight strong innings, and captain Nick Leiningen (Charlton, NY) pitched a complete game seven innings, as the Sacred Heart Pioneers swept the Fordham Rams in a doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Houlihan Park. The Pioneers defeated the Rams 4-2 in game one and then finished off the sweep with a 6-0 win in game two. SHU improves to 5-6 on the season.

Junior left-hander Jeff Stoddard earned the win in game one, allowing just two runs in eight innings of work. Junior Dan Wertz (Cross River, NY) pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning to register the save.

Sacred Heart jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the fourth as Derick Horn (Valatie, NY) came around to score after leading off the inning with a base hit. Dan Perez (Seymour, CT) followed with a single and Horn was able to score on a Victor Sorrento (Monroe Township) double play.

The Pioneers added to their lead in the fourth inning. Perez knocked home Jayson Sullivan to score Sacred Heart's second run, while Sorrento drilled a double to left center field to give SHU a 3-0 lead.

Fordham clawed back in the fourth inning, scoring two runs to cut into the SHU lead.  Joey Runco and Tim Swatek knocked back-to-back singles to start the inning with Runco coming around to score after stealing second. After a strikeout, Rob McCunney hit a single to score Swatek and cut the SHU lead to one run.

The Pioneers added an insurance run in the eighth inning with Horn hitting a sacrifice fly to score sophomore Jesus Medina (New York, NY) and give SHU a 4-2 lead before Wertz closed the door on the Rams in the ninth. 

In game two, the Pioneers offense scored five runs in the first two innings and Leiningen cruised through seven innings to earn his first win of the season.

Sullivan knocked in SHU's first run in the first inning, while Connor McEvoy (Watertown, CT) drilled a two-out triple to right field to give SHU a 2-0 lead.

The Pioneers added three in the second inning to break the game open. Medina, Short, and Sullivan hit three consecutive RBI singles to give SHU a 5-0 lead. 

SHU put one more insurance run on the Rams in the seventh inning, with freshman Keith Klebart (Orange, CT) knocking a sacrifice fly to give SHU the final 6-0 lead.

Sacred Heart and Fordham will play the series finale of their three-game set tomorrow afternoon at 1:00 pm at Houlihan Park.