Softball Falls to Illinois State in Extras on Sunday

Box Score (pdf)

Boca Raton, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic Tournament utilizes the international tiebreaker of placing a runner on second base in extra innings, much like the rule that Major League Baseball is currently weighing on whether or not it should be implemented to speed up games. In a tournament format, it can be a great way to cut down the length of games when there are so many to play. On Sunday afternoon, the Fordham softball team and Illinois State were tied at six-all heading into the eighth inning. The Rams could not capitalize in the top of the frame, but the Redbirds did in the bottom half, to walk-off as 7-6 winners. With the loss, Fordham falls to 18-6 on the year.
 
Madison Shaw hit yet another home run, making it seven in her last nine contests, while Lauren Quense took just her third loss of the season but went the distance for the eighth time. It wasn't the prettiest game at times, with a combined five errors between the two schools; Quense was charged with two earned runs and five unearned on the day.
 
The Redbirds got on the board first, with a two-run single by Shannon Felde, but she was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double. The two runs were unearned due to an earlier error by Amy Van Hoven. Fordham got one back in the bottom of the frame, similarly as a result of an error, when Lindsay Mayer crossed home plate, after earlier leading the inning off with a single, on a throwing error by the third baseman. Another costly error in the second, this one by Jessica Hughes, allowed Illinois State to tack on two more runs, 4-1, with two outs in the frame, one on that play and one a batter later coming on a Riley Strandgard RBI triple.  
 
Fordham tied the game up in the next half-inning, with Shaw driving in Van Hoven and Sydney Canessa with a single to center, the latter scoring as a result of an error on the centerfielder. Quense's groundout scored Mayer to knot the game up at 4-4. It was the Rams' turn to take their first lead of the afternoon in the fifth inning, coming on yet another Shaw blast, this one to right center, scoring Mayer, 6-4. Quense, who had allowed just two hits over her past three innings, gave up her only two earned runs of the game in the sixth, on a two-run double by Strandgard with two outs. The Redbirds threatened in the seventh with a single and double putting runners in scoring position with no outs but the senior hurler battled back to induce a groundout and a flyout sandwiching a swinging strikeout to end the inning.
 
Shaw, who had made the last out an inning earlier, was placed on second to start extras and, although she would move to third on a Skylar Johnston groundout, she would be thrown out at the plate trying to score on Chelsea Skrepenak's grounder to third. Deanna Burbridge, running for Quense, who had earlier taken her 20^th walk of the year, moved to third on the play but didn't advance more after Morgan Figueroa ended the inning with a groundout.
 
Illinois State's runner advanced to third on a one-out groundout and it was Strandgard who again played the hero, singling the second pitch she saw to left center to walk-off 7-6 winners.
 
Quense finished her game with 7.2 innings pitched with seven runs allowed (two earned) on 10 hits and three walks compared to two strikeouts. Both Shaw and Mayer finished 3-for-4 on the day, with the former notching three RBI and a run, and the latter scoring thrice. Singles by Hughes and Canessa were the only other hits allowed by Sarah Finck.
 
Sunday was the ninth extra-inning game of the year for Fordham but just the second loss.
 
The Rams will finish up their preseason schedule and the FAU tournament by playing Fairfield and the hosts on Tuesday, at 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m., respectively.