Softball Flies Over Saint Joseph's in Doubleheader Sweep

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BRONX, N.Y. -- The Fordham softball team took care of some much-needed business Saturday at Bahoshy Field with a doubleheader sweep of Saint Joseph's. The Rams used the mercy rule to defeat the Hawks in five innings in both games, 8-0. With the sweep, Fordham clinches the series and improves to 24-17 (10-5 A10) on the season, while SJU falls to 21-14 (6-7 A10) overall.

Game One
In the opener, the Rams did all the scoring it would need in the bottom of the first when they sent 12 batters to the plate and scored seven runs on eight hits to take a commanding 7-0 lead.

After sophomore Sydney Canessa scored on fellow classmate Lindsay Mayer's RBI fielder's choice and sophomore Amy Van Hoven crossed home on a passed ball, senior Kayla Lombardo ripped a double down the left field line to score Mayer for a 3-0 lead. Lombardo then scored on a RBI double from redshirt junior Rachel Gillen, who scored on senior Michele Daubman's RBI single. Senior Cora Ianiro kept the rally going with a RBI single that score fellow classmate Paige Ortiz, before Daubman scored on a wild pitch to cap the scoring.

Two innings later, Van Hoven doubled home freshman Madison Shaw to increase the lead to the final score of 8-0.

Gillen (16-8) went the distance in the circle for the 12th time this year and collected her fourth shutout. The southpaw allowed just three hits, did not walk a batter and struck out 10. She also extended her hitting streak to 14 games. Seven batters recorded a single hit, while Van Hoven finished 3-for-3 to give the Rams 10 total hits. Eight different players scored a run, six different players collected a RBI, and
Van Hoven and Ianiro each stole a base.

Madison Clark (16-5) did not even make it out of the first inning, as she took the loss in the circle. Anna Lauterbach tossed 3.2 innings of relief and limited Fordham to one earned run on two hits to go along with one walk and one strikeout.

Game Two
The Rams used three home runs to score five of their runs in the nightcap. The first one came in the bottom of the third when Gillen broke a scoreless tie with her third home run of the season. The drilled two-run shot over the right-center field fence scored Lomardo and extended her hitting streak to 15 games.

Daubman found her power stroke in the fourth and fifth innings when she hit a pair of round trippers to give her six on the season. The first one was a line shot over the left-center field fence, before ripping a three-run shot to the opposite field that plated Lombardo and junior Cailin Winokur, which produced a 6-0 lead.

Later in the fifth, Canessa doubled home Ianiro, and junior Allie Bradian clinched the sweep with a RBI single that scored freshman Morgan Figueroa.

Daubman (6-7) tossed her third complete game of the season and first shutout after limiting the Hawks to three hits and zero walks while fanning one. She also went a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with two home runs and four RBI. Figueroa added two hits, as Fordham finished with 11. Lombardo also scored twice, and Gillen added two RBI.

Lauterbach (1-3) was charged with the loss in the circle after allowing two earned runs on three hits while walking two and striking out three over 3.0 innings of work.

Up Next
The two sides conclude the three-game series Sunday with a single game starting at 1 p.m.