Atlantic 10 Rivals Clash in Rubber Match Sunday

NEW YORK (Interstat) — The Richmond Spiders and Fordham Rams will decide their three-game Atlantic 10 Conference series in a Sunday afternoon matchup at Jim Houlihan Park at Jack Coffey Field.

First pitch is scheduled for Sunday evening under cloudy skies with temperatures around 54 degrees.

The series is tied after a split of the first two games. Fordham (10-11) won 8-4 on Friday, but Richmond (12-11) evened it with a 4-3 victory Saturday.

A marquee pitching rematch is set for the finale. Richmond’s Joey Giordano, coming off a dominant performance Saturday, is expected to start. The right-hander threw 7 2/3 hitless innings in relief, allowing one earned run with two strikeouts in the win. In his last three appearances, including two starts, he is 3-0 with a 1.59 ERA and 21 strikeouts over 20 2/3 innings.

Fordham will counter with two-way player Chase Hanawalt, who started and took the loss Saturday. He pitched six innings, allowing one earned run on five hits with five strikeouts. At the plate this season, Hanawalt has shown power, hitting two home runs.

The Rams’ offense, which exploded for eight runs Friday, was stifled by Giordano and reliever Bijan Anvar on Saturday. Tommy Markey drove in two runs in the loss.

Richmond’s Chris Schaller, who had an RBI in Saturday’s win, will look to spark a Spiders lineup that has been inconsistent.

According to Interstat’s game simulator, Fordham is projected to win 7-3.

Following Sunday’s game, Richmond hosts Old Dominion on Wednesday before a conference series with Rhode Island. Fordham remains home to face Wagner on Wednesday ahead of a key A-10 series against Saint Joseph’s.