Softball Opens Atlantic 10 Play This Weekend at Saint Louis

Live Stats

BRONX, N.Y. -- The Fordham softball team (11-10, 0-0 A10) opens Atlantic 10 play this weekend when it hits the road to take on Saint Louis (15-8) in St. Louis, Mo. at the Billiken Sports Center. The two sides will play a three-game series starting Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. EST, before concluding the set Sunday with a single contest at 1 p.m.

Last Time Out
The Rams finished 2-3 at the N.C. State Hyatt Place Invitational in Raleigh, N.C. last weekend. Fordham lost to #21/19 Missouri (7-5), defeated Binghamton (6-4) and Lipscomb (3-2 in nine innings), and fell to Longwood (10-7) and #25/25 North Carolina State (5-0). Freshman Morgan Figueroa was named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week after entering the tournament with only three official at-bats. She collected 13 hits in 17 at bats for a .768 average and five runs scored while producing a streak of 13 straight plate appearances of reaching base. Figueroa had a pair of four-hit games against both Lipscomb and Longwood, and in the Rams' extra-inning win over Lipscomb, she had the game-tying hit and scored the game-winning run in the ninth inning. Senior Kayla Lombardo hit .353 over the five-game sample with her first two home runs of the season and five RBI, while sophomore Lindsay Mayer batted .316 and slugged her first long ball of the year. Redshirt junior Rachel Gillen finished 2-2 in the circle with two complete games while walking six and fanning 21 in 23.0 innings.

Saint Louis
2015 Season: 15-8 (0-0 A10)
When: Saturday, March 21 - 1 p.m. EST and 3 p.m. EST; Sunday, March 22 - 1 p.m. EST
Where: St. Louis, Mo. (Billiken Sports Center)
Series History: Fordham leads 16-5 (since April 7, 2006)
Last Meeting: May 10, 2014 - Fordham 11 Saint Louis 0 (5 innings) (A10 championship game in Bronx, N.Y.)
What You Need To Know: The Billikens, who are once again projected to finish second in the conference, have won 11 of their last 14 games but enter this weekend's series on a two-game losing streak after dropping their final games at Kansas' Jayhawk Invitational to Omaha (1-0) and Idaho State (6-1). SLU comes in hitting .308 as a team (seven hitting .300 over better), scoring 6.1 runs per game, and is 23-of-32 in stolen bases. Alex Nickel is slashing .438/.538/.603 with 32 hits, 19 runs, six doubles, two home runs and 12 RBI to lead the offense. Lindsay Friedman is the top power threat with team highs of six home runs, 22 RBI, 21 runs and seven stolen bases to go along with a slash line of .359/.488/.719. Pitching has also been strong for the Billikens, who have pitched to a 2.84 ERA in 153.0 innings while walking 79 and striking out 78. Brianna Lore is 6-6 with a 1.36 ERA and has struck out 53 and walked 31 in 67.0 innings. She also has six complete games out of seven starts, including two shutouts. Laney Kneib has also started seven games and is 5-0 with a 3.32 ERA and three saves, while Maddie Baalman (nine starts) is 4-2 with a 4.70 ERA but has control problems with 32 walks and just seven strikeouts in 41.2 innings.

Up Next
The Rams will play their first game in the northeast this season when they take on Northwestern this Tuesday, March 24 in Hempstead, N.Y. on the campus of Hofstra University. First pitch is slated for 5 p.m.