Offense Erupts in Softball's Sweep at Massachusetts

AMHERST, Mass. -- The Fordham softball team combined to score 25 runs on 23 hits Saturday in its doubleheader sweep of Massachusetts at Sortino Field. The Rams won the opener, 12-4, before taking the nightcap in a six-inning 13-3 mercy-rule victory. With the sweep, Fordham clinches the series and  improves to 20-16 (6-4 A10) on the season, while the Minutewomen fall to 8-20 (3-8 A10) overall.

Game One
The Rams jumped out to a 4-0 lead after 4.5 innings and never looked back. Sophomore Sydney Canessa scored the first run of the game in the top of the first on a passed ball, and fellow classmate Amy Van Hoven doubled the lead with a RBI single in the top of the third to plate Canessa. Two innings later, another sophomore, Lindsay Mayer, stroked her fourth home run of the season, a two-run shot on a full count over the left-center field fence that once again scored Canessa.

After UMass answered with two runs in the bottom half of the fifth to slice the Fordham lead in half, the Rams broke the game open with five runs in the top of the sixth to take a commanding 9-2 lead. With the bases loaded, Canessa singled home freshman Megan Figueroa, before Van Hoven worked a RBI walk to send senior Cora Ianiro across the plate. Mayer then delivered a two-run single to plate freshman Madison Shaw and Canessa, and senior Kayla Lombardo capped the scoring with a RBI sacrifice fly that scored Van Hoven.

Fordham was not done scoring and added three more runs in the top of the seventh to increase its advantage to 12-2. Van Hoven singled home Shaw, Canessa scored her fifth run of the game on Mayer's RBI sacrifice fly, and Lombardo drove home Van Hoven with a RBI groundout.

The home team hit a meaningless home run in the bottom of the seventh for the final tally of 12-4.

The Rams finished with 12 hits and took advantage of two errors. The top of the order of Canessa, Van Hoven and Mayer combined to go 6-for-10 with eight runs, eight RBI and three walks, as all three each had two hits, with Mayer tallying five RBI, Van Hoven scoring twice, and Canessa reaching all five plate appearances. Shaw also finished 2-for-3 with two runs, and Lombardo added two RBI.

Redshirt junior Rachel Gillen (13-7) earned the victory in the circle after tossing 5.0 innings. She allowed two earned runs on five hits, walked three and fanned nine. Junior Patti Maloney pitched the final 2.0 innings and recorded a strikeout.

Caroline Raymond (6-10) was charged with the loss in the circle after being tagged for eight runs (six earned) on seven hits in 5.0 innings of work, where she walked six and struck out three. Bridget Lemire and Taylor Carbone both had two of the Minutewomen's six hits, with Lemire adding two runs and three RBI.

Game Two
Fordham scored four runs in each of the first two frames to jump out to an 8-0 lead after 1.5 innings. Senior Paige Ortiz hit the first of her two home runs in the game in the top of the first with a grand slam that scored Van Hoven, Mayer and Lombardo. In the top of the second, Van Hoven singled home Figueroa, Canessa scored on Lombardo's RBI walk, Van Hoven scored on a wild pitch, and Mayer scored on Gillen's RBI sacrifice fly.

UMass answered with single runs in the second and fourth innings, but Ianiro increased the lead to 9-2 in the top of the fifth with a RBI single that plated junior Cailin Winokur.

After the Minutewomen scored another run in the bottom of the fifth, Fordham clinched the game in the top of the sixth with four more runs to go in front by double-digits at the final count of 13-3. Mayer hit her second two-run homer of the day, as Van Hoven came around on her fifth of the season, while Ortiz hit her second of the game and team-leading sixth of the season, a two-run shot as well, with Lombardo coming around on the ride.

Ortiz finished with two home runs and six RBI for the second time in the last three contests, while Van Hoven and Mayer added two more hits and three runs to help pace the 11-hit attack. Mayer also added two more RBI to finish with seven on the day, while Lombardo collected two RBI.

Senior Michele Daubman (5-7) tossed 4.0 innings in the circle to collect the victory, as she gave up two earned runs on three hits to go along with two walks and two strikeouts. Maloney once again pitched the final 2.0 innings and whiffed four.

Meg Colleran (1-8) went the distance for UMass in the loss. She yielded 13 earned runs on 11 hits, walked five and struck out one.

Up Next
The Rams look to complete the series sweep Sunday and extend their win streak to four games when the two sides play the series finale Sunday at 12 p.m.