Softball Shuts Out Stony Brook and Seton Hall in Nonconference Doubleheader

Box Score vs. Stony Brook (pdf) | Box Score vs. Seton Hall (pdf)

Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham softball team shut down both Stony Brook and Seton Hall on Wednesday afternoon at Bahoshy Field in the rare nonconference doubleheader featuring two different schools. Due to inclement weather, Tuesday's away game in West Orange was rescheduled to follow today's contest with the Seawolves. The Rams made it five straight shutouts for the first time in program history with a 13-0 five-inning win over the Seawolves in game one following by a 5-0 result in game two. With the wins, the Rams improve to 25-7 on the year, while Stony Brook and Seton Hall fall to 3-16 and 14-12-1 overall, respectively.
 
"I'm really happy the way the team is playing, especially the pitching and defense," Head coach Bridget Orchard said, "Syd [Canessa] had a huge catch and the team is really getting rolling on offense, as well. These are two good wins to take into the weekend."
 
The Rams used two consecutive big innings in each contest to pick up two victories. Against Stony Brook, the Rams put up an eight spot in the second inning and five more in the third, with the trio of starter Madison Aughinbaugh and relievers Taylor Stocks and Stephanie Rundlett combining for a one-hit shutout across five innings. Aughinbaugh tossed two perfect frames with one strikeout before giving way to Stocks, who allowed just one hit while striking out two, good enough for her fourth victory of the year, before Rundlett made her second appearance of the year and allowed one walk in an otherwise unblemished inning.
 
Lindsay Mayer kicked off the second inning with a hard-hit single to right and advanced on a wild pitch two batters later. That hitter, Aughinbaugh, roped a single to center to put runners on the corners, albeit briefly as the freshman stole her second base of the year two pitches later. Chelsea Skrepenak pushed a single to right center to score Mayer and Morgan Figueroa's infield single to shortstop on the first pitch plated Aughinbaugh. After Jessica Hughes had reached on a fielder's choice, the sophomore speedster stole second to again put two runners in scoring position. Sydney Canessa stepped up and knocked them both in with a ripped single to left, advancing on the throw home, and advanced shortly thereafter on a wild pitch. Amy Van Hoven was hit by a pitch to get runners on the corners again but the senior stole her second base of the day on the next play. Madison Shaw smashed a double over the head of the centerfielder to bring the pair in and scored herself, along with Mayer who had reached on an error, when Lauren Quense legged out her first career triple on a long drive to the gap in right center.
 
Fordham added five in the third, first on a Hughes RBI double, then on a two-run double to left center off the hot bat of Van Hoven, and finally a two-run laser home run into the left field netting from Mayer, her sixth of the season and third in the last four games. Rundlett relieved Stocks for the fifth and allowed just a one-out walk to Taylor Pechin before inducing a fly out and groundout to finish the game.
 
Eight different Rams tallied between one and two RBI in game one.
 
Quense started game two in the circle but left after three three-hit innings due to injury, getting replaced by Aughinbaugh, who tossed three three-hit innings of her own for win number seven on the year. Stocks finished off the contest with a clean inning featuring two strikeouts.
 
After three clean innings for Madison Strunk, it was Fordham's bottom of the order that, for the second time Wednesday, got the Rams on the board. With two outs and Aughinbaugh on first after reaching on a fielder's choice, Skylar Johnston pushed a double out to deep right to score her classmate all the way from first. The Rams plated two more in consecutive at bats, first a scorched double down the left field line by Skrepenak to score Johnston and a Figueroa single to center to plate Skrepenak, forcing a pitching change from Seton Hall coach Paige Smith. Chrisa Head got the final out to end the threat but allowed two runs in the fifth on a Shaw two-run single through the right side, scoring Canessa and Van Hoven who had each singled and stole second back to back. The next batter, Mayer, singled to left, but Head worked out of further trouble by getting three groundouts and keeping the Rams off the board in the sixth.
 
Canessa led the way Wednesday, going 4-for-5 with three runs scored, two walks, and two RBI, while Mayer (.714) and Skrepenak (.600) each added three runs as well. Van Hoven's three stolen bases helped her leapfrog teammate Hughes for the team lead with 20 on the year. Hughes nearly evened the score but was gunned down attempting a theft in game two, her fourth caught stealing of the year.

The two wins also bring head coach Bridget Orchard ever closer to career victory number 700, now with 699. She'll look to celebrate another milestone this weekend.
 
During the five-game shutout streak, four Rams are batting .538 or better: Canessa, Mayer, Skrepenak, and Van Hoven. Mayer has notched home runs in three of the games, as well, but it's Shaw's 10 RBI that leads the squad in the past five days. The team, as a whole, has batted .431 during the streak.
 
The Rams are back in action this weekend for a three-game series against the visiting Hawks of Saint Joseph's to continue Atlantic 10 play. Saturday's doubleheader will begin at noon and Sunday's series finale will start at 1 p.m. Stay tuned to FordhamSports.com and @FordhamSoftball on Twitter for updates on the weather forecast and any changes that may take place.