Softball Opens Trip to North Carolina With Split

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Fordham softball team collected a split Friday in first-day action at the N.C. State Hyatt Place Invitational. The Rams dropped a 7-5 decision to #21/#19 Missouri, 7-5, before rebounding to defeat Binghamton, 6-4, in the nightcap. Fordham moves to 10-8 on the season after the split, while the Tigers and Bearcats are now 16-3 and 8-8, respectively.

Game One
The Rams started in a hole from the beginning with Missouri after allowing single runs over the first two innings, before knotting the game at 2-2 on senior Kayla Lombardo's two-run bomb over the center field fence, as junior Cailin Winokur came around to score on Lombardo's first home run of the season.

But the Tigers quickly grabbed the advantage back in the top of the third with a two-spot of its own for a 4-2 lead. However, Fordham responded with single runs in the third and fourth frames to tie the contest at 4-4. Sophomore Lindsay Mayer singled home freshman Morgan Figueroa, before freshman Madison Shaw hit the first collegiate home run of her career to force the tie.

Missouri took the lead for good thanks to Emily Crane, who broke the tie with a home run in the top of the fifth, before adding insurance runs with a two-run single in the bottom of the sixth that created a 7-4 lead.

Sophomore Sydney Canessa singled home Shaw in the bottom of the sixth, but it was not enough for the Rams in the 7-5 defeat.

Redshirt junior Rachel Gillen (5-3) was charged with the loss after tossing 6.0 innings in the circle, where she allowed five earned runs on seven hits while walking two and fanning four.
Lombardo, Shaw and Figueroa each had two hits, as Fordham finished with nine. Shaw also added a double and two runs to go with her solo shot, while Lombardo collected two RBI on her round-tripper.

Tori Finucane (7-3) earned the victory, as she allowed four earned runs on seven hits in 5.0 innings of work while walking one and striking out seven. Cheyenne Baxter tossed the final 2.0 innings to earn her second save of the season.

Taylor Gadbois and Amanda Sanchez each had three hits to pace the Tiger offense, which finished with 11 hits and five stolen bases. Gadbois scored three times and stole two bases while Sanchez added two RBI. Crane also finished with two hits, three RBI and a stolen base.

Game Two
The nightcap saw the Rams once again spot their opponents a lead when Binghamton's Kate Richard socked a three-run homer in the bottom of the third to break a scoreless tie.

Fordham gained two runs back in the top of the fourth on senior Paige Ortiz's first home run of the season, a two-run shot over the left-field fence that plated Lombardo.

After the Bearcats took a run back in the bottom of the fourth to stretch their lead out to 4-2, the Rams waited until the top of the sixth to score four times using a two-out rally to take their first and final lead of the game, 6-4.

Figueroa reached on an error by the third baseman to start the comeback after a pair of groundouts to shortstop. Canessa worked a walk, and Figueora stole third to place runners on first and third. Sophomore Amy Van Hoven followed with a RBI single that scored Figueora, which cut the deficit to 4-3, and Mayer delivered the big blow with an opposite-field three-run bomb over the right-center field fence, her first of the season, that produced the final tally.

Fordham finished with 12 hits and took advantage of three Binghamton errors, with Mayer going 3-for-4 with one run and three RBI while falling a triple short of the cycle. Van Hoven and Lombardo added two hits, and Ortiz added two RBI on her home run.

Senior Michele Daubman received a no-decision in the circle after allowing four earned runs on seven hits in 5.0 innings of work. Gillen (6-3) earned the victory in relief, as she scattered two hits and fanned three over the final two innings.

Cara Martin (3-2) took the loss despite yielding only two earned runs (six total) on 11 hits to go along with one walk and three strikeouts. Caytlin Friis and Gabby Bracchi each had two of the Bearcats' nine hits, while Richard collected three RBI.

Up Next
The Rams return to action Saturday with a pair of contests against Longwood (11:15 a.m.) and #25/#25 North Carolina State (3:45 p.m.)