Philadelphia, Pa. – The Fordham softball team made it three straight Atlantic 10 wins in a row with a doubleheader sweep of Saint Joseph's on Saturday afternoon. The Rams defeated the Hawks, 10-2, in a six-inning game one before shutting out the hosts, 6-0, to finish the day. Fordham moves to 20-15 (4-1) on the season, while the Hawks fall to 11-13-1 (1-3-1) overall.
The Rams got on the board in the first inning of game one and never looked back, eventually taking a shortened game one with a three-run sixth inning.
Rachel Gillen continued her impressive run of form in the circle with yet another complete game, firing six innings of two-run ball for her 12
th win of the season and third in her last four starts. The grad student allowed just five hits and a walk while striking out seven.
As has become relatively commonplace for the Rams offense, freshman
Jessica Hughes started off the game by getting on base, with her team-leading 17
th walk, stole second, her conference-leading 20
th swipe, and scored on
Amy Van Hoven's double down the right field line. Gillen set down the top of the order in the bottom of the frame with two swinging strikeouts.
Madison Shaw kicked off the second with an opposite field solo home run down the line, her fourth of the year, to give the visitors a 2-0 lead. Fordham would score two more in the frame, including the game-winning run on an error in the field. Hughes singled with two outs and advanced
Stephanie Ferri, who had been hit by a pitch, to third base. The freshman speedster notched her 21
st of the season to put runners on second and third while also moving into a tie for third-most in a single season in program history with Melissa Andrews. Van Hoven's hit to second base was mishandled and both runners scored to put the Rams up, 4-0.
Gillen allowed a run in the second on a sacrifice fly after finding herself with runners at second and third with no outs. She worked out of further trouble by fielding a groundout and getting a swinging strikeout to end the threat. Shaw was at it again with a RBI double in the next inning scoring
Lindsay Mayer who had started the inning with a double to right center.
Mayer produced a run of her own in the fourth by doubling again and scoring Hughes who had singled to lead off the inning. With the hit, Hughes has now strung together 12 games this season with at least two hits. Shaw added her third RBI with a two-out single to center to score
Sydney Canessa. Zierke led off the bottom of the inning with a solo shot, the last run Gillen would allow.
Hughes singled yet again to start the sixth but was thrown out at second trying to advance. Van Hoven stepped up and ripped her third triple of the year to right field and came around to score on a Canessa single a batter later. Gillen's RBI double gave the Rams a seven-run cushion.
Cailin Winokur pinch ran for the pitcher and came around to score the eventual game-ending run on Ferri's RBI single to center.
Gillen allowed the Hawks to load the bases with nobody out but got the force out at home on a groundout and impressively struck out the final two batters looking to end the game, giving the Rams their third conference victory in the process.
Lauren Quense earned win number eight with her third solo shutout of the season in game two. The junior hurled seven innings of four-hit ball with one walk allowed and a pair of punchouts.
The Rams scored quickly in the second contest with four runs in the first inning and it was all Quense would need. Hughes led off with an infield single and Van Hoven reached on a fielding error. Canessa reached on a fielder's choice and Mayer's sac fly scored Hughes, 1-0. Gillen powered a double to left to score Canessa and then Shaw belted her second home run of the day and fifth of the season to round out the frame. Fordham added two more in the fifth when Hughes scored on a Van Hoven double and Gillen brought the junior shortstop around with an infield single.
An error led to a runner on to start the bottom of the frame but Quense induced a 6-4-3 double play and eventually got out of the inning unscathed.
Fordham plays the Hawks in the series finale tomorrow at 1 p.m. before returning to the Bronx to host Lehigh in nonconference play on Tuesday afternoon at 4 p.m.
