Eugene, Ore. – The Fordham softball team fell, 8-0, via the run-rule in the fifth inning in the first round of the NCAA Regionals against #5 Oregon on Friday night. With a start time of 12:05 a.m. on the east coast, the Rams and Ducks played in front of a sold out Jane Sanders Stadium but the visitors couldn't muster much against the Pac-12 Co-Freshman of the Year. With the result, Fordham falls to 39-20 on the season, while the Ducks improve to 45-8 overall.
The Ducks scored at least one run in four of five innings and all but leadoff hitter Jenna Lilley recorded at least one hit in the contest. The Rams tallied six hits on the evening, their first game under the lights all season, and advanced runners into scoring position twice, but stranded five on the night.
Sydney Canessa paced Fordham with two hits in three at bats and made a spectacular diving catch in the fifth inning.
Rachel Gillen, making her 100th career start for Fordham, endured one of her shortest starts of the season, throwing four innings and allowing six runs and one walk with one strikeout to move to 16-11 on the season.
Lauren Quense came on in relief in the final frame and allowed two runs on four hits.
Madison Shaw led off the second with double, going down to push a 3-2 offering into the left centerfield gap, but was left stranded after the next three batters were retired in order, all grounding out to the shortstop. Fordham had at least one hit in every other inning, with two one-out singles in the fifth, but couldn't bring any runners around to score.
Oregon's Megan Kleist hurled the complete game shutout with six hits allowed, no walks, and just one strikeout, to improve to 17-5 on the season.
Fordham will now play Long Beach State in Saturday's elimination game at 4:30 p.m. PST, shown live on ESPN3, with the loser being eliminated from the tournament. With a win against the 49ers, the Rams would turn around and play in the third contest of the day 30 minutes later, against the loser of Oregon and Baylor, with a chance to advance to Sunday's final needing two consecutive wins to advance to Super Regionals, not unlike the scenario facing Fordham last weekend at A-10s.
