Gillen's Career-High 11 K's Helps Softball Split at USF

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Fordham softball team began South Florida's Presidents' Day Weekend Tournament with a victory Friday morning over St. John's, 3-0, before falling to #11/#14 Tennessee, 5-0, at the USF Softball Stadium. With the split, the Rams move to 3-4 on the season, the Red Strom drops to 3-2 after the loss, and the Lady Vols improve to 5-0 overall.

Game One
Redshirt junior Rachel Gillen (3-1) tossed her second consecutive complete-game shutout in the opener and recorded a career-high 11 strikeouts. She walked just one and yielded only three hits, with two coming in the final inning.

Fordham scored the only run it would need in the top of the first when sophomore Sydney Canessa scored an unearned run on senior Kayla Lombardo's RBI groundout to third to make it 1-0.

Senior Michele Daubman hit her second home run of the season in the top of the sixth, as her two-out bomb over the left-center field fence extended the lead to 2-0. The Rams then added another insurance run in the top of seventh, after freshman Morgan Figueroa scored on sophomore Amy Van Hoven's RBI groundout to second base.

The Ram offense managed only four hits in the contest against St. John's starter Tori Free (1-1), who took the loss despite fanning 12 and walking three in the complete-game effort. Krystal Puga registered two of the Red Storm's three hits.

Game Two
Fordham had its chances against nationally-ranked Tennessee during the first three innings. Canessa singled to lead off the game and reached third with one out before being stranded. The Rams had runners on first and second with one out in the top of the second, before a play at the plate ended the threat. And to end the third inning, the unconventional 6-3-2 double play halted the Fordham opportunity.

Daubman started in the circle and worked out of trouble in her first two innings of work, including a one-out triple in the bottom of the first. But the Lady Vols broke through with a pair of one-out runs in bottom of the third to take a 2-0 lead.

After the Rams stranded another runner in scoring position in each of the next two innings, Tennessee's Rainey Gaffin led off the bottom of the fifth with a solo home run to increase the advantage to 3-0. The Lady Vols then put the game with two more runs in the bottom of the sixth to clinch the 5-0 victory.

Fordham managed only four hits, with Canessa going 3-for-4 to lead the way, as the three hits tie a career high for the Rams' leadoff batter. Gillen managed the only other safety for Fordham, who could not take advantage of a pair of Tennessee miscues.

Gaffin started in the circle for the Lady Vols and pitched the first three innings, scattering three hits, whiffing two and walking none. Gretchen Aucoin (3-0) came in relief and limited the Rams to one hit over the final four innings to earn the victory while walking three and striking out four.

Daubman (0-2) was charged with the loss after allowing two earned runs on six hits in 4.0 innings of work while fanning four and walking none. Junior Patti Maloney tossed 1.2 innings of relief and was touched for three earned runs on four hits, while sophomore Lauren Quense recorded the final out.

Up Next
Fordham returns to action Saturday with a pair of games starting with Florida Gulf Coast at 1:30 p.m. The Rams will then take on South Florida under the lights at 8:15 p.m.