Softball Walks Off Against Iona

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Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham softball team walked off winners against Iona in midweek nonconference action, 3-2, to pick up its 30^th win of the year. Lindsay Mayer's seventh-inning sacrifice fly to score Jessica Hughes did the damage and the Rams will now set their sights on a Lehigh doubleheader in Bethlehem on Wednesday. With the win, the Rams improve to 30-9 on the year, while the Gaels fall to 15-15 overall.
 
For the most part, Tuesday was a pitcher's duel between a trio of Rams and Gaels pitchers, except for one error on Iona first baseman Ciarra DiGuillio that scored two and two solo home runs off the bat of designated player Kristen Turner.
 
Lauren Quense made her 23^rd start of the season in her 25^th appearance and allowed just the one home run among three hits with no walks and four strikeouts over three innings. The freshman duo of Taylor Stocks and Madison Aughinbaugh worked in relief with the former allowing the other Turner blast and one other single with no walks and two strikeouts over two innings, while the latter picked up her 11^th win with one perfect inning of relief, including one strikeout. Gaels starter Marnie Skinner cruised through three innings before loading the bases in the fourth, with the two-run error coming with two outs. Jessica Harkness, who picked up the loss, allowed three hits and one run in 2.1 innings, giving up one-out singles to both Hughes and Sydney Canessa in the seventh before Alana Evans took over. Evans threw a wild pitch to move the runners over and gave up the walk-off flyout to Mayer.
 
The first of Turner's blasts came in the first inning, with two outs, the second in the sixth to level the score. After a string of 1-2-3 innings, the Rams threatened in the bottom of the third, putting runners on first and second with one out but Hughes and Canessa each flied out to end the inning. In the next half-inning, the Gaels put two runners in scoring position with two outs but Quense struck out DiGuillio looking for the last out.
 
In the bottom of the fourth, Fordham took the lead for the first time. Madison Shaw, Aughinbaugh, and Skylar Johnston all singled in order with one out to load the bases. Quense grounded into a fielder's choice for the force out at home but Jordana Storm and DiGuillio combined for the two runs, Storm's grounder being bobbled by the first baseman to score Aughinbaugh and Johnston.
 
Mayer provided the other two biggest Fordham hits of the day, the lone extra-base hit, a bloop double down the right field line and the walk-off sacrifice fly, the senior's 29^th RBI of the year and team-leading 44^th hit.
 
The Rams have a quick turnaround with a doubleheader at Lehigh on Wednesday beginning at 2:30 p.m.