Softball Splits Doubleheader at Lehigh

PDF Box Scores: Game One | Game Two

Bethlehem, Pa. – The Fordham softball team split Wednesday's nonconference doubleheader at Lehigh, falling in game one, 4-1, before rebounding, 6-1, in game two behind Madison Aughinbaugh's gem in the circle. With the results, the Rams move to 31-10 on the year, while the Mountain Hawks improve to 19-16 overall.
 
Lehigh scored early against Lauren Quense in game one and kept its foot on the pedal, leading throughout, despite a brief Fordham rally in the sixth inning. Aughinbaugh, meanwhile, improved to 12-3 on the year with a near perfect game, shutting the Mountain Hawks down for five innings before an unearned run in the sixth broke up her bid. Lehigh scored one in the first and third and two in the fourth in game one against Quense, one being unearned, before Taylor Stocks allowed just one hit in two scoreless innings of relief. Lindsay Mayer led off the sixth with a double and Madison Shaw drove her in with a single but that would be all Fordham could muster against Christine Campbell.
 
Game two was a different story, as the Rams started out hot and gave Aughinbaugh all the support she'd need with two runs in the first inning. Jessica Hughes singled up the middle to start the contest and scored all the way from first on a long single by Sydney Canessa. Later in the frame, Skylar Johnston's two-out single would score Shaw, who had reached on a fielder's choice. The Rams added a third in the third on a triple off the bat of Shaw, scoring Mayer who had singled to lead off the inning, and three more in the sixth on a RBI single by Aughinbaugh and a two-run single up the middle by Quense.
 
Aughinbaugh was dealing from the start, striking out three over her first five innings before Carolyn Wright, pinch hitting, reached on a fielding error by Shaw at short. The next batter, Rachel Timberman, doubled to left to put the two in scoring position, and the former crossed home on a sacrifice fly by Cassie Lajeunesse. Lexi van Ooyen singled to start the seventh but Aughinbaugh set the next three hitters down in order to finish the game with just the two hits and unearned run allowed over her seven frames, her sixth complete game of the year.
 
Hughes led the way with a 4-for-6 day at the plate, including 3-for-3 in game two with a walk. Each of Canessa, Mayer, Shaw, and Quense tallied at least one hit in each game. Mayer and Shaw notched two apiece in game two also with two runs and a walk each.
 
The Rams turn their attention back to Atlantic 10 play this weekend with a three-game series at Massachusetts. Due to the Easter holiday, the typical Sunday contest has been moved to Friday at 3 p.m., while Saturday's doubleheader remains the same.