Softball Again Sweeps Atlantic 10 Weekly Awards

League Release

Newport News, Va. – The Fordham softball team has again swept the Atlantic 10's weekly honors, the league announced on Monday afternoon, the second time this season it has done so. Jessica Hughes took home her second Player of the Week award, Lauren Quense is back as the Pitcher of the Week after missing out last week and it is her fourth accolade over the first five weeks, and freshman Taylor Stocks scooped up her first career honor, Rookie of the Week.
 
Fordham went 3-2 this weekend at the Florida Atlantic Tournament, splitting time between the Owls' campus of Boca Raton and at Florida International on Friday in Miami. The Rams still have two more games left, tomorrow, against Fairfield and Florida Atlantic.
 
Fordham has earned Player of the Week honors four weeks in a row now, alternating between Hughes and junior Madison Shaw. This week it was Hughes' turn, slashing a terrific .533/.650/1.067 with a home run, two triples, double, and eight overall hits in 15 at bats, plus three runs scored, four walks, and two stolen bases. Hughes' second theft moved her into fourth place all-time already as a sophomore, passing Ivy Pollock '05, with 49. On Friday at FIU, Hughes helped the Rams to a win over Rutgers with a 2-for-3 showing, plus a hit by pitch, including a RBI double, but failed to record a hit in two at bats against the Panthers, although she did walk twice and stole second once.
 
The sophomore speedster was the hero of day two, smacking a walk-off RBI triple to beat Ball State, 2-1, in the bottom of the seventh inning, before serving up a three-run home run in the second inning against Brown, providing the go-ahead run herself in what was an eventual 13-2 run-rule victory. Hughes finished a double short of the cycle in the game and drove in a career-high five runs. In a tough loss to Illinois State on Sunday, Hughes walked twice and singled.
 
Quense was solid at the plate over the weekend, adding another five walks and smacking her second home run of the year, driving in four, but it was her pitching that earned her the weekly honor. The senior compiled a 1-2 record over the weekend but a 1.35 ERA over 20.2 innings. Quense went the distance in all three contests, first in six innings against Florida International, then seven innings with just one unearned run allowed against Ball State, and then the late walk-off loss to the Redbirds in the eighth inning. FAU utilizes the international tiebreaker for extra innings wherein players are placed at second base at the outset of those innings.
 
Stocks put up similar numbers to classmate Madison Aughinbaugh last weekend when the latter took home her second Rookie award. The Bunkhill, W.Va. native tossed nine total innings across a start and a relief appearance, allowing just two earned runs on 10 hits and two walks, while striking out four. Stocks picked up a win for each appearance, first in relief of Quense against Rutgers on Friday, allowing a run on two hits across four innings, and then making her second start of the year and going the distance in the shortened game, with two runs allowed (one earned) on eight hits and no walks across five frames.
 
The Rams play the aforementioned games tomorrow, March 14, to wrap up the preseason tournament schedule. Next Tuesday, March 21, Fordham will play at Hofstra at 3 p.m., before hosting Iona the following day at the same time for the team's home opener.