BRONX, N.Y. (April 16, 2024) – There was no lack of opportunities for the Sacred Heart University baseball team on the road on Tuesday afternoon. The Pioneers loaded the bases in the third and fifth innings, but left them all out there both times. They finally pushed a run across in the seventh, but it would be their only one of the afternoon at Houlihan Park. In all, SHU left 12 men on base in a 2-1 non-conference loss at Fordham.
Fordham (14-21) jumped out front with a run in the last of the third. Diego Prieto got things started with a one-out single to center, before another single and a walk loaded the bases with two away. Cian Sahler then took a five-pitch walk to drive home the game's first run.
The Rams would hold the 1-0 lead through the sixth inning. SHU (18-15) had previously had runners at second and third with one out in the top of the third, but ultimately left them loaded when
Dante D'Amore (Southington, Conn.) lined out to left field. The Pioneers loaded them for D'Amore again in the fifth, on a single and a pair of hit batsmen, but this time the first baseman struck out on five pitches.
Sacred Heart was able to break through for a run in the top of the seventh to even the score.
Alex Ungar (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) pulled a one-out double down the left-field line, moved to third on a ground ball and scored on an RBI groundout by
Tim McGuire (Portsmouth, R.I.). However, SHU would also leave runners at second and third when
Gavin Donohue (Melrose, Mass.) went down looking on five pitches.
The missed opportunities would prove costly in the last of the eighth, when Fordham struck for the go-ahead run. Andrew Kanellis was hit by a pitch leading off, Sahler followed with a bunt single and then a walk loaded the bases with nobody out. Right-hander
David Aufiero (Glen Head, N.Y.) came on and ceded a sacrifice fly to Madden Ocko to break the tie. Aufiero got Tommy McAndrews to bounce into a 5-4-3 double play to limit the damage, but the go-ahead run was all Fordham would need.
A walk and a single allowed SHU to get the tying run to third with just one out in the ninth, as the Pios made their final stand against right-hander Aric Berg. However, Berg got
Zack Kovalchik (Archbald, Pa.) to foul out to third on a 2-0 pitch and then got a fly ball to left from D'Amore to end the ball game and notch his third save of the season.
Right-hander
Jack Kramer (Glen Rock, N.J.) made an effective midweek start on the mound for SHU, as he went five innings on 85 pitches (45 strikes). He allowed just one run on four hits, walked three and struck out three. Switch pitcher
PJ Rogan (Wildwood, Mo.) suffered the loss (0-1) out of the bullpen after two-plus innings of work. He left with the bases loaded in the eighth and was eventually charged with one run on three hits.
Right-hander Gannon Brady (2-1) worked a perfect top of the eighth with two strikeouts and was the beneficiary of the Rams' run in the bottom half. Seven Fordham pitchers combined to allow on run on eight hits and struck out 12.
SHU is back on the road against another Atlantic-10 opponent on Wednesday, when the Pios travel to Massachusetts for a 3 p.m. start.
