Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 Hosting Binghamton for a Sunday afternoon doubleheader, the Rams put forth one of their best offensive efforts in recent memory, scoring 20 runs over two games and coming away with a pair of victories.
While several Fordham players had stellar days, the senior duo of
Elise Fortier and
Gabby Luety was borderline unbelievable. The pair combined for five home runs and 16 RBI, leading the team to its 13
th victory in its last 14 tries.
Luety and Fortier's day also had some major historical implications. Heading into the day, Fortier had 35 career home runs, tied with two others for second on the Fordham career home run list, while Luety was right behind her with 34. Luety then belted three on the day while Fortier added two, placing the pair in a tie for second on the career list with 37 apiece.
Patti Maloney made relief appearances in both games for Fordham , earning two victories in the process and moving her record to 3-0 on the year.
Game One Always a power-hitting team under Coach
Bridget Orchard, the Rams lived up to their reputation in the first game of a doubleheader with Binghamton on Sunday afternoon, hitting five home runs en route to a 10-8 victory.
Gabby Luety hit a pair, while
Elise Fortier,
Michele Daubman and
Kayla Lombardo each added one round tripper.
The Bearcats wasted no time waking up their bats on Sunday afternoon, as their first four batters all reached base and scored before the Rams could register an out. The set included a pair of ground rule doubles and a two-run home run.
Trailing by four heading into the bottom of the second, the Rams utilized the long ball to work their way back into the game. Daubman hit a solo shot in the home half of the second, cutting the Bearcat advantage to three.
In the bottom of the third, the Rams did something rarely seen in college softball to grab the lead. After
Sydney Canessa led the inning off with a single and
Amy Van Hoven lined out on a hard-hit ball to short, Fortier lifted a ball over the left field fence to make it a one-run game. After Fortier knocked one out, Lombardo and Luety followed suit with dingers of their own, making it back-to-back-to-back home runs for the Rams. It is believed to be the first time in Fordham softball history that the Rams hit three long balls in a row.
The Bearcats soon got back on the right side of the scoreboard, plating three runs in the fourth to move ahead 7-5.
But the Rams would not go quietly into the night. With runners on second and third and one out in the bottom of the sixth, Fortier singled to left, scoring both runners and tying the game. Following Fortier's single, Lombardo walked before Luety smacked her second goner of the day, a three-run shot that put the Rams up by three, 10-7.
Binghamton closed within two in the top of the seventh, but Maloney closed it out for the win.
Game Two After hitting the cover off the ball in the first game of a doubleheader, the Rams did much of the same in the second tilt, topping Binghamton 10-9 on the back of some late inning heroics by
Gabby Luety.
Luety went 2-4 with a game-winning grand slam in the second contest of the twin bill, while
Elise Fortier also knocked in four runs on a pair of hits.
For the second time in as many games, the Rams surrendered multiple runs in the first inning as Taylor Chaffee hit a two-run homer to left center in the top of the first.
The Rams didn't take as much time to respond in game number two, as Fortier belted her second long ball of the day, a two-run shot, to tie the game at two.
The Bearcats moved back ahead by two in the top of the second, but the Rams responded again, plating three runs over the next two innings to move ahead 5-4. Fortier registered a two-RBI single during that stretch, while
Rachel Gillen also brought home a run.
Ahead by one, the Rams saw their advantage morph into a two-run deficit in the top of the fourth when the Bearcats pushed across three runs.
Fordham, however, came alive in the home half of the sixth. At the plate with the bases loaded, Lombardo took a pitch to the midsection, wearing an RBI and bringing her team within one, 7-6.
Next up was Luety, who launched one over the centerfield wall, tallying her eighth RBI of the day and moving her team ahead by three, 10-7, heading into the final inning.
Binghamton rallied in the top of the seventh, bringing home two runs, but Maloney prevailed in the circle once again and sealed her second victory of the day.
Â
