Newport News, Va. – Another week, another piece of hardware for the Fordham softball program. As the Rams have racked up 12 straight wins and a 21-3 record over the last five weeks, the team has taken home at least one weekly Atlantic 10 honor in four of those weeks. The league announced its winners on Monday afternoon and for a third consecutive week,
Paige Rauch has earned Rookie of the Week distinction, while senior
Madi Shaw took home her first Player of the Week accolade this year, sharing it with Saint Joseph's Caela Abadie. Massachusetts' Kiara Oliver won Pitcher of the Week.
Fordham went 5-0 over the last seven days, all in league action, with sweeps over St. Bonaventure at home last Wednesday and a three-game sweep at Saint Louis over the weekend. Shaw and Rauch were integral to the team's success.
Shaw slashed .500/.684/1.000 by going 6-for-12 with two home runs, five runs batted in, four runs scored, and a 1/7 K/BB walk ratio. The senior reached at least once in all five contests and three times in four of them. Shaw started the week off with a 2-for-3 performance with a walk, stolen base, and a run in game one against the Bonnies before reached just once via walk in game two. The Raynham, Mass. native combined to go 2-for-4 with four walks and a home run during Saturday's doubleheader against the Billikens, going 1-for-2 in each contest. In game one, Shaw drew a bases-loaded walk to plate the game's first run. In game two, Shaw launched a two-run first-inning home run that proved to be all the offense Rauch and the Rams would need. On Sunday, the duo linked up for a pair of first-inning bombs, with Shaw providing another two-run moonshot and finishing her day 2-for-3 with another walk and run scored, as well.
Shaw's home runs give her 37 for her career, moving her into sole possession of fourth place on the all-time list, while her five RBIs jump her past current assistant coach
Gabby Luety ('14) and Erin Fisher ('10) for fourth place with an even 150 for her career.
Rauch continued her terrific rookie campaign this past week with another standout two-way performance. In the circle, the Windsor, N.Y. native racked up three more victories over two starts and one long relief appearance. In a start in game two against the Bonnies, Rauch held the visitors to just one first-inning unearned run on four hits and three walks, while punching out a season-high eight batters, tied for the team's season-high as well (Quense vs. Bryant). Pitching in game two on Saturday, Rauch allowed just two runs, one earned, on seven hits and one walk, while striking out five. Rauch then came out of the pen with Fordham down two runs and kept the Billikens off the board over four scoreless frames, allowing the Rams to rally and get the sweep. For the week, Rauch tallied a 0.39 ERA over 18.0 innings with just three runs allowed, one earned, on 14 hits and five walks, while striking out 13.
At the plate, Rauch slashed .294/.400/.529 by going 5-for-17 with four runs batted in, all over the weekend, with two runs scored, a home run, two walks, and two stolen bases. The freshman started slowly by going 1-for-7 against the Bonnies with a single and a run scored but rebounded with four hits over the weekend series with at least one RBI in each contest. Rauch also kicked the series finale off with her third leadoff home run of the campaign.
The duo, joined by
Skylar Johnston, have a combined 35 home runs between them and are just the third trio to each have double-digit home runs in a season.
Fordham is back in action on Wednesday afternoon at Bahoshy Field for a nonconference doubleheader against Delaware.
