Amherst, Mass. – The Fordham softball team dropped its series at Massachusetts this weekend but picked up a win by splitting Saturday's doubleheader. After getting run-ruled for the first time all season, 12-4, in the opening contest, the Rams avoided the sweep with a 7-4 victory in the series finale. With the results, the Rams move to 32-12 on the year and 8-4 in the Atlantic 10, while the Minutewomen improve to 19-18 and 8-3, respectively.
The Minutewomen scored in five of six innings in game one, jumping out to an early 3-0 lead in the first inning on two run-producing singles with one out. The hosts tagged
Lauren Quense for four more in the second and 10 overall, eight earned, over her five frames. The go-ahead run came on a one-out RBI double from Kaitlyn Stavinoha in the second, the second of four consecutive hits that led to three runs. Two extra runs came later in the inning on an error by second baseman
Jordana Storm and a RBI single to put Massachusetts up, 7-0.
Fordham rallied for four in the fifth inning to stave off the run rule, albeit briefly, with a two-run
Jessica Hughes single and a two-run bomb from
Madison Shaw, her 10
th of the year. The Minutewomen responded, however, with four runs of their own against freshman
Stephanie Rundlett, tallying two quick singles, loading the bases on a catcher's interference, and two run-scoring walks to end the contest.
Madison Aughinbaugh made the start in game two, picking up her 13
th win of the year by working in and out of trouble, giving up a season-high 13 hits but allowing just four runs to score.
The Rams scored one run in the first inning to take a lead they wouldn't relinquish;
Sydney Canessa walked and stole second, scoring when Hughes struck out but the catcher's errant throw to first sailed into the outfield. Aughinbaugh doubled the lead with a one-out fielder's choice to score
Chelsea Skrepenak, who had pinch-ran for
Skylar Johnston after the freshman had singled to lead off the inning.
The Rams struck for three in the third inning, kicking things off with three straight singles from Hughes,
Lindsay Mayer, and Shaw. Hughes scored on a passed ball and the other two scored on Johnston's two-run single to center. Massachusetts got to Aughinbaugh for three in the bottom of the frame, and one in the seventh on a lead-off solo home run, but that was all the damage done against the freshman. Fordham added two runs on a Shaw RBI double and another Johnston RBI single.
Johnston led the way with five hits in seven at bats, driving in a trio of teammates, while Shaw finished with a home run, two doubles, and a single in her seven at bats, driving in two and scoring three times. Mayer tallied the team's other multi-hit game, in the series finale, with a pair of singles, while Hughes notched a single in each contest.
The Rams travel to St. Bonaventure for midweek conference action, playing a doubleheader on Wednesday, April 19, starting at 2 p.m. Fordham will return home after that for seven straight games in the Bronx to finish up the home portion of its campaign.
