Softball Wins Nightcap to Earn Split With Syracuse

BRONX, N.Y. -- The Fordham softball team won the nightcap of its Wednesday doubleheader with Syracuse to earn a split at Bahoshy Field. After dropping the opener, 4-2, the Rams rallied early in game two and cruised to the 7-3 victory. With the split, Fordham improves to 16-14 on the season, while the Orange falls to 13-18 overall.

Game One
The Rams fell behind 3-0 in the third inning of game one when Syracuse's Sydney O'Hara socked a three-run homer into the middle of Fordham's spring football practice. The Orange then tacked one more run in the top of the fourth on Maddi Doane's line-drive homer over the center field fence.

In the bottom half of the frame, the Rams scored a single run to cut the deficit to 4-1. Senior Kayla Lombardo doubled with one out and came around to score on fellow classmate Michele Daubman's RBI triple down the right-field line. But Fordham was unable chip into the lead, as the Rams' starting pitcher was left stranded at third.

Daubman came through again in the bottom of the sixth with a one-out RBI ground-rule double that plated sophomore Lindsay Mayer to trim the Syracuse advantage to 4-2. However, Daubman was once again deserted on the base paths.

Fordham looked to construct a rally in its final at-bat in the bottom of the seventh when senior Paige Ortiz led off with a walk. It was not to be though, as the Orange held on for the 4-2 victory.

Daubman (4-6) took the loss in the circle after allowing four earned runs on five hits over 4.0 innings of work while walking three and fanning one. Junior Patti Maloney limited the Orange to just one hit over the final 3.0 innings, as she walked three and struck out three. Daubman also had three of the Rams' five hits and two RBI.

Jocelyn Cater (9-12) went the distance for Syracuse. She yielded two runs (one earned) on five hits, walked two and whiffed six. O'hara had three of the Orange's six hits and accounted for all four runs with three RBI and a run scored.

Game Two
The story for Fordham in the nightcap was the pitching of junior Rachel Gillen. After spotting Syracuse a 2-0 lead in the top of the first when Corinne Ozanne slugged a two-run homer over the left field fence, the southpaw settled down and allowed only one more run over the final six innings. In the complete-game effort, Gillen allowed three runs (one earned) on just three hits, walked one and struck out 12.

The Rams took the lead for good in the bottom of the second when they scored three times to take the lead for good at 3-2. Gillen doubled with one out, advance to third on Ortiz's single, and scored on senior Brianna Turgeon's RBI fielder's choice. Sophomore Sydney Canessa followed with the big blow, as her first home run of the season sailed over the fence in left field and capped the scoring.

Lombardo joined the home run party in the bottom of the third when she hit her fourth big fly of the season, an opposite field shot with one out that increased the advantage to 4-2.

Syracuse took a run back in the top of the fourth when it scored an unearned run with two outs, before Fordham gained it back one inning later on Lombardo's two-out RBI single, as Canessa came around to score to make it a 5-3 game. Gillen's RBI double and Canessa's RBI fielder's choice in the bottom of the sixth would then produce the final score of 7-3.

Lombardo, Gillen and Ortiz each had two hits for the Rams, who finished with nine, while Canessa recorded three RBI and two runs. Lombardo also added two RBI for Fordham.

Lindsey Larkin (1-1) took the loss in the circle for the Orange, as she allowed four earned runs on five hits over 4.0 innings of work. Anna Marie Gatti tossed the final 3.0 innings for Syracuse in her season debut.

Up Next
The Rams welcome Dayton to Bahoshy Field starting Friday, April 3 for a three-game Atlantic 10 series. The two sides will play a single game starting at 12 p.m., before playing a doubleheader Saturday, April 4 beginning at 11 a.m.