Softball Hosting Saint Joseph's This Weekend

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BRONX, N.Y. -- The Fordham softball team (22-17, 8-5 A10) currently sits in fourth place in the Atlantic 10 and welcomes fifth-place Saint Joseph's (21-12, 6-5 A10) to Bahoshy Field this weekend for an important three-game series starting with a doubleheader Saturday beginning at 12 p.m. Sunday features the series finale, which is slated for 1 p.m.

Last Time Out
The Rams splits their Wednesday doubleheader at St. Bonaventure by winning the first game, 10-2, before dropping the nightcap, 4-3. Fordham pounded out 14 hits in the opener, with sophomore Amy Van Hoven, senior Kayla Lombardo, redshirt junior Rachel Gillen, senior Paige Ortiz and senior Cora Ianiro all collecting two. Lombardo and Ianiro scored twice, while Gillen, Mayer and Ortiz combined for eight RBI. Gillen (15-7) earned the victory in the circle after allowing two earned runs on five hits while walking none and fanning four in 5.0 innings. Junior Patti Maloney scattered four hits over the final two scoreless innings. In the nightcap, Fordham was unable to hold a 3-0 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth and allowed three runs in the frame, before succumbing to the final run in SBU's final at-bat in the bottom of the seventh, which gave the home team the 4-3 victory. Gillen (15-8) was charged with the loss, as she allowed one earned run on two hits while walking two and fanning one in 1.2 innings of releif work. Senior Michele Daubman went 5+ innings, scattered 10 hits, allowed three runs (two earned), walked none and struck out three. Van Hoven finished 3-for-3 with two runs, while Lombardo went 2-for-2 with a run and three RBI. Gillen and Figueroa added the other two hits for Fordham.

Saint Joseph's
2015 Season: 21-12 (6-5 A-10)
When:  Saturday, April 18 - 12 p.m. & 2 p.m.; Sunday, April 19 - 1 p.m.
Where: Bronx, N.Y. (Bahoshy Field)
Series History: Saint Joseph's leads 27-24 (since 1996)
Last Meeting: May 11, 2013 - Fordham 6 Saint Joseph's 5 (Atlantic 10 championship in Amherst, Mass.)
What You Need To Know: The Hawks, who were picked to finish third in the conference, sit one spot behind the Rams in fifth place and can help themselves out by winning the series, as the two sides are tied in the loss column, with Fordham ahead two game in the win column. SJU snapped a five-game losing streak Wednesday at Monmouth with a 5-2 victory. The Hawks were swept last weekend at home against first place Dayton, after dropping the final two contests of its three-game series at sixth-place George Mason the weekend before. Offensively, SJU is one of the top offensive teams in the league, as the Hawks are hitting .329, nearly 30 points ahead of the second-place Rams (.301). They are averaging 6.6 runs per game and have slugged 36 home runs, as nearly 40 percent of their 296 total hits are of the extra-bases variety. They have also stolen 32 bases (out of 41 attempts). Sarah Yoos comes in slashing a ridiculous .408/.636/.634 with three home runs and 23 RBI and leads the team with 35 runs and 30 walks. Ashley Alden is the top power threat with team highs of 10 home runs and 36 RBI to go along with a slash line of .390/.457/.854. Alden's sister, Nikki, adds four home runs and 30 RBI while slashing .368/.431/.632. Overall, seven players are hitting. 345 or higher, with eight hitting above .300. In the circle, the Hawks have pitched to a respectable 3.68 ERA over 209.0 innings but have yielded 248 hits and fanned just 102. Madison Clarke is the ace of the staff with a record of 16-4 and a 2.73 ERA. She has started 21 of 25 games and has completed 13 with three shutouts while recording one save. In 118.0 innings, she has allowed 144 hits, walked 43 and whiffed 56.

Up Next
The Rams return to action Wednesday, April 22 when they travel to Hempstead, N.Y. to take on Hofstra for a single contest at 4 p.m.