Softball Sweeps George Mason on Saturday

PDF Box Scores: Game One | Game Two

Fairfax, Va. – The Fordham softball team kept its momentum up from last Sunday's doubleheader sweep against Saint Joseph's with another on Saturday, this time on the road at George Mason. Like last week, the day also included another extra-inning victory. With the results, the Rams improve to 29-8 on the year overall and 7-1 in Atlantic 10 play, while the Patriots fall to 10-24 and 4-4.
 
Lauren Quense set a new career-high with nine full innings pitched in game one, picking up her 15^th win of the year, limiting George Mason to three runs on seven hits and three walks, while striking out eight. She was opposed on the other side by sophomore Marina Vitalich. The pair made up the two pitching slots in last year's All-Conference second team. Vitalich also went all nine and allowed three earned runs, as well, but three unearned on three errors in the ninth that led to the loss, her eighth of the year.
 
Quense and Vitalich traded scoreless frames for five innings before both teams scored two in the sixth. The Patriots only threatened in the third, singling twice to start the inning but Quense struck out her next two batters and induced a lineout to end the threat. Otherwise, the senior allowed just one other single over those first five innings.
 
In the top of the sixth, Lindsay Mayer walked to lead off and was replaced on first by pinch runner Maria Trivelpiece. After Quense struck out, Jordana Storm singled to left center and Skylar Johnston ripped a two-run double to right center to score the two. In the bottom of the frame, Mason strung together a single, double, and two walks around a strikeout, the damage coming on the two-run double off the bat of Erin Calpin.
 
After two 1-2-3 innings in the seventh, both teams threatened in the eighth. Mayer singled to third and Storm moved her over to third with her second single of the day, this time to right. The bases were loaded when Johnston reached on a fielder's choice but both Morgan Figueroa and Jessica Hughes were set down to end the inning. George Mason's Mary-Elizabeth Luttrell did double with two outs and Calpin was intentionally walked to get to Brooke Sullivan, whom Quense got to groundout to end the frame.
 
Fordham's breakthrough in the ninth came as a result of three separate errors. Madison Aughinbaugh reached on an error by Vitalich to lead off and scored all the way from first on the next play, an error committed by the center fielder off a Sydney Canessa hit that got her to third. The eventual game winner came on Madison Shaw's sac fly to score Canessa and the Rams added another after Mayer singled to center and reached third on another error by Luttrell, scoring on Quense's groundout.
 
The Rams got off on the right foot in game two, plating one in the first on an Aughinbaugh RBI single to drive in Mayer, who had singled to left center two batters earlier. Aughinbaugh herself was excellent in the circle, allowing a fourth-inning run and an unearned run in the seventh, earning her 10^th victory of the season, the seventh freshman in program history to hit that mark. The Patriots tied things up with a two-out RBI double by Luttrell before the floodgates opened in the sixth for Fordham.
 
Quense doubled to lead off the frame and was replaced by Deanne Burbridge on second. Johnston singled to put runners on the corners and pinch hitter Trivelpiece walked to load the bases. Mayer replaced Ansbro in the circle but gave up three singles around a fielder's choice, leading to four runs scored. First Hughes drove in Burbridge when she singled to left, moving everyone up, and Canessa reached but the Rams were kept off the board with the force out at home. Mayer singled in Trivelpiece and Shaw did the same for both Canessa and Hughes to extend the lead to four, 5-1.
 
Mayer led the way with a team-high five hits in seven at bats, plus two walks and two runs scored. Her fourth hit of the day was the 200^th of her career, including her time at Virginia as a freshman. Five other Rams had two hits apiece. The complete games by Quense and Aughinbaugh were the 12^th and fifth of their respective campaigns.
 
The two schools will play the series finale tomorrow, Sunday, at noon. There will be a live video broadcast as well as live stats.