Photo GalleryAMHERST, Mass. -- For the second day in a row, the Fordham softball team spotted its opponent a 1-0 lead, before rallying for a 5-1 victory at Sortino Field. This time, the victim was second-seeded Saint Louis, and the Rams move on in the winners' bracket of the Atlantic 10 Championship to face the other 2-0 team, fourth-seeded George Mason, who upset top-seeded Dayton, 8-5 in the first game of the day. With the victory, Fordham extends its win streak to nine games and improves to 34-18 on the season, while the Billikens fall to 36-17 overall and now play an elimination game later this evening against sixth-seeded La Salle.
The Rams used timely hitting, strong pitching and defense, and a spark from sophomore
Ally Vergona, who came off the bench to collect a couple hits, drive home a run and make a tremendous diving catch from her backstop position in the bottom of the sixth. Senior
Michele Daubman (11-8) continued her strong pitching of late and earned the victory in the circle after tossing 4.0 innings of one-run, three-hit ball while walking one and fanning four. Junior
Patti Maloney produced her best pitching performance of the season, as she limited Saint Louis to no hits, one walk and one strikeout over the final 3.0 innings to collect her first save of the season.
Sophomore
Sydney Canessa set the tone early for the Rams in the bottom of the first with a remarkable diving catch to rob Billikens' lead-off batter Alex Nickel of extra bases. And with her team down, 1-0 in the top of the third, Canessa crushed a long home run over the left-center field fence to tie the game at 1-1.
After Fordham squandered away a scoring chance in the fourth, the Rams came through in a big way in the top of the fifth with three runs to take the lead for good at 4-1. For the second game in a row, senior
Cora Ianiro started the rally with a lead-off double, this time down the right field line. Senior
Brianna Turgeon followed with a walk, and Canessa singled up the middle. But on the play, Ianiro was thrown out at the plate on a close play.
With runners now on first and second with one out, Van Hoven reached base on an error by the shortstop to load the bases, before sophomore
Lindsay Mayer delivered the eventual game-winning hit with a two-run single to center field that scored Turgeon and Canessa, with Van Hoven getting thrown out at third for the second out. Vergona then capped the scoring by roping a RBI single to right-center field to score Mayer.
In the top of the seventh, Turgeon put the cherry on top for the Rams with a towering home run over the left field fence to start the top of the seventh, as her fifth of the year extended the lead to 5-1.
Fordham finished with nine hits, with Canessa, Mayer and Vergona all collecting two. Canessa added two runs and her fifth long ball of the season, Mayer added two RBI, and Turgeon reached base twice and scored two runs.
Brianna Lore (18-10) was charged with the loss in the circle after tossing 4.2 innings. She allowed four runs (two earned) on seven hits, walked two and fanned two. Emma Buckles collected the lone RBI with a two-out double in the bottom of the second.
The Rams take on George Mason Friday, with first pitch slated for 12 p.m.
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