Gillen Powers Softball to First A-10 Win

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Bronx, N.Y. – Rachel Gillen powered the Fordham softball team from the plate and in the circle to a 5-3 victory of Massachusetts in the first game of the Atlantic 10 schedule. With the win, the Rams have won 10 of their last 11 and stand at 16-14 (1-0), while the Minutewomen fall to 6-17 (0-1) overall.
 
Gillen's two-run moonshot to right center in a three-run fifth inning proved to be the eventual game winner as the graduate student also fired seven innings of three-run ball to go with eight hits allowed, one walk, and nine strikeouts. The complete game is Gillen's 34^th of her career, moving her into a tie for seventh-most in program history alongside Courtney Collins, plus the win was Gillen's 42^nd career victory that moves her up into a tie for fourth in the program ranks with Carol Fischer.

The win is the 700th in Fordham program history.
 
Besides for Gillen, who also had the only other Fordham extra base hit with a double, Amy Van Hoven tallied three more hits in her three at-bats and Maddie Shaw bumped her average up to a team-high .400 with a 1-for-2 showing. Van Hoven's recent hot streak has her average up 99 points in just six games (.200 to .299).
 
Fordham got on the board against Meg Colleran in the second after Gillen ripped a double to left center to start the frame. Shaw singled through the right side and stole second on the next pitch. Quense and Skrepenak went down swinging in order but Morgan Figueroa beat out a chopped single to shortstop to score Gillen. Massachusetts' Taylor Carbone equaled things up in the top of the third by doubling home Jen Cozza, who scored from first after being hit by a pitch.
 
Van Hoven started the bottom of the third with a hard-hit single up the middle and advanced to second on a ground out, scoring on the next batter when Lindsay Mayer ripped her own single up the middle.
 
Jessica Hughes had one of the hardest hit balls of the day with a single to left field to start the fifth, stole second on the next pitch, and advanced to third a couple pitches later on a wild pitch. Van Hoven promptly smacked her third hit of the day through the right side. Sydney Canessa reached on a fielder's choice next, stole second, but was gunned down at third trying to steal after Olivia Godin bobbled a pitch at the plate. With two outs, Mayer walked, and Gillen smoked a 2-1 offering over the right center field fence for the 5-1 lead.
 
Massachusetts scratched one run back in the next frame on a Lindsey Zenk sacrifice fly but despite allowing the tying run to step to the plate, Gillen worked out of trouble. The seventh appeared to be another smooth inning for the graduate pitcher after inducing a groundout to third and a swinging strikeout to start things off but two straight singles and a walk to load the bases provided some dramatics. With Godin at the plate, Gillen allowed one run to score with a wild pitch and put the tying run on second base, but she notched her ninth strikeout of the day shortly thereafter for her 10^th win of the season.
 
The Rams are back in action tomorrow with two games against the Minutewomen at Bahoshy Softball Complex. First pitch of game one is slated to start at 11 a.m.