Softball Splits Doubleheader Against Top-25 Teams

Box Score vs. #21 Baylor | Box Score vs. #10 Arizona

Tucson, Ariz. – The Fordham softball team kicked off its 2017 campaign with a bang on Thursday night on the west coast, splitting a doubleheader against two top-25 teams in the opening games of the Hillenbrand Invitational. Led by Lauren Quense's complete game shutout and Jessica Hughes' solo home run, the Rams downed #21 Baylor, 1-0, in the opening contest, the program's 14th-ever win over a nationally ranked opponent, before falling, 8-1, to the hosts, #10 Arizona. Fordham will take its 1-1 record into tomorrow's lone contest against Tulsa, a team that has received votes in the latest AP poll.
 
Quense was relied on plenty as a junior in the absence of star pitcher Rachel Gillen and performed admirably, eventually earning All-Conference Second Team recognition for her efforts. On Thursday night, the senior was dealing against the Bears, allowing just five hits and one walk in her sixth career shutout, punching out four.
 
The Rams offense put runners in scoring position in the second and third innings but failed to bring them around before Hughes' go-ahead bomb came with two outs in the fifth came against reliever Shelby McGlaun in her first inning of work. Fordham again threatened in the sixth, loading the bases with two outs, but pinch hitter Skylar Johnston, in her first at bat, grounded out to end the frame. Still, Quense buckled down and worked around a two-out walk in the seventh to see out the win.

 
A little more than 30 minutes later and the Rams were stringing together three straight singles off Danielle O'Toole in the first inning to take an early 1-0 lead against the Wildcats, senior Sydney Canessa's RBI single doing the damage. That would be the end of the scoring for the Rams, however, as O'Toole induced a fielder's choice with an out at the plate and two strikeouts to get out of trouble. The senior would allow just one hit the rest of the way as Fordham struggled against her and in the field, committing three errors along the way, including two on the same play that play a large part in the three first-inning runs allowed.
 
Freshman Madison Aughinbaugh made her collegiate debut against the number 10 team in the country and allowed six runs, five earned, in her three innings, walking two and recording her first strikeout. Fellow freshman Taylor Stocks relieved her in the fourth and pitched the final three frames, allowing two runs, one earned, on one hit and one walk, with three strikeouts. Like the Rams, the Wildcats strung together three straight singles to start. After Mandie Perez and Dejah Mulipola reached, Alyssa Palomino singled to right field and two errors, one by Chelsea Skrepenak in right field and one by catcher Ally Vergona, led to all three players crossing the plate. Aughinbaugh worked around a two-out single to get out of the inning. The Port Tobacco, Md. native walked two in the second but also struck out her first batter and induced two more outs. Arizona scored three more in the third, first on a leadoff solo home run by Katiyana Mauga, one of the nation's top power bats, and a two-run single from Tamara Statman.
 
Stocks' lone runs to cross the plate came in the fourth on a sac fly and then an error in right field that led to Mo Mercado getting around the bases and scoring. Stocks bounced back after that, allowing just a walk in the sixth with two strikeouts.

Reigning Atlantic 10 Player of the Year Lindsay Mayer led the squad with three hits in six at bats, while both Hughes and Canessa notched two hits apiece, one in each game. The trio were the lone Rams to notch hits in both games. Quense singled and walked twice against Baylor but went 0-for-3 in game two. Fordham struck out 16 times over the two contests, walking four times.
 
The Rams take on Tulsa tomorrow at 1 p.m. EST.