TAMPA, Fla. -- The Fordham softball team jumped out to a 5-1 lead after three innings against Detroit, before holding on for a 6-5 victory Sunday to conclude South Florida's Presidents' Day Weekend Tournament at the USF Softball Stadium. With the win, the Rams improve to 6-4 on the season, while the Titans fall to 0-5 overall.
The offense started quickly, as Fordham scored twice in the bottom of the first to take an early 2-0 lead. With one out, sophomore
Amy Van Hoven tripled to right field and scored on fellow classmate
Lindsay Mayer's RBI single. After back-to-back walks to seniors
Kayla Lombardo and
Michele Daubman loaded the bases, Mayer scored on senior
Brianna Turgeon's RBI walk, before the Rams left the bases loaded to end the frame.
Detroit got a run back in the top of the second off sophomore starter
Lauren Quense on Katy Severson's RBI double, which sliced the lead to 2-1.
But Fordham responded swiftly in the bottom of the second when Mayer stroked a one-out double to plate senior
Cora Ianiro and Van Hoven for a 4-1 advantage.
Turgeon made it 5-1 when she led off the bottom of the third with her third home run of the season, a shot over the left field fence.
The Titans took advantage of an error by the shortstop to start the fourth, which was followed by a double to put runners on second and third, before a run scored on a passed ball and another on a fielding error by the third baseman to trim the Ram lead to 5-3.
Turgeon then came through again, as she led off the bottom of the fifth with her second round tripper of the game and fourth of the season to extend the lead to 6-3, which proved to be the game-winning hit.
Things got interesting for Fordham in the top of the sixth when Detroit's Kayla Kostich singled with one out and scored on Christa McGahuey's two-run homer to get within one at 6-5, before the Titans stranded the tying run at third base.
Daubman, who was called on the pitch in the circle in the bottom of the fifth, hit a batter to start the bottom of the seventh, putting the tying run on base. After a sacrifice bunt moved to the runner to second base, a wild pitch advanced the tying run to third. However, Daubman buckled down and struck out the final two batters looking to clinch the victory and allow the Rams to finish the tournament 4-1.
Quense (1-1) earned her first victory of the season in the circle after allowing three runs (one earned) on two hits while walking one and fanning five in 4.0 innings of work. Daubman collected her first save of the season after tossing the final 3.0 innings, as she yielded two earned runs on three hits to go along with no walks and three strikeouts.
Fordham managed just six hits, with Turgeon, Van Hoven and Mayer all collecting two each. Van Hoven and Turgeon both scored twice, with Mayer and Turgeon each recording three RBI. Van Hoven also added two stolen bases.
Detroit used three pitchers, and McGahuey (0-3) was charged with the loss, as she lasted just 2.0 innings after allowing five runs (four earned) on four hits to go along with three walks and one strikeout. McGahuey also led the offense with two hits, two runs and two RBI.
The Rams return to action next weekend, Feb. 20-22, when they travel to the Palmetto State to play four games at Furman's Paladin Classic in Greenville, S.C. and one other game against reigning Northeast Conference champion Bryant in Spartanburg, S.C.
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