Softball Travels to St. Bonaventure for Wednesday Doubleheader

Watch | Game One Live Stats | Game Two Live Stats
Twitter Updates @FordhamSoftball
 
Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham softball team (32-12, 8-4 A-10) will look to rebound from its first series loss in nearly a year when it travels to St. Bonaventure (10-28, 1-8 A-10) for a Wednesday doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.
 
Fans can follow along with the action via the links above.
 
Last Time Out
The Rams traveled to Massachusetts for a three-game Easter weekend set and dropped the first two contests between Friday and Saturday afternoon for its first series loss since last May's doubleheader sweep at Dayton. For the last series loss prior to that you'd have to go back to April 4, 2015, also at Dayton. Fordham hasn't been swept in a conference three-game series since late in the 2002 season, in the regular season finale at Massachusetts. However, that's mainly because the A-10 used a strict doubleheader format between 2003 and 2014.

The Minutewomen notched a 5-4 win in the rare Friday conference contest, scheduled due to Easter Sunday. The Rams nearly pulled off a seventh-inning rally but fell just one run short. Madison Shaw was at the heart of three of the four Fordham runs, putting her team in the lead early on with a first-inning sac fly before a clutch two-out two-run single in the seventh to get within one. The freshman duo of Madison Aughinbaugh, who got the start, and Taylor Stocks, combined to allow five runs, four earned, in six innings, with the former taking her fourth loss of the year. Read more about it, here.
 
Game one of Saturday's doubleheader brought the first run-rule loss of the Rams' season; Massachusetts hung 10 runs, eight earned, on senior Lauren Quense over her five innings, before ending the game in the sixth with two runs against Stephanie Rundlett. Fordham did plate four runs in the fifth, on a two-run Jessica Hughes triple, her fifth of the year, and Shaw's 10^th home run of the year a batter later. The Rams salvaged the series with a 7-4 win in the series finale, scoring all the runs they'd need by the fourth inning. The first three runs came on two passed balls and a fielder's choice but Skylar Johnston provided the eventual game-winning run with a two-run single in the third. Aughinbaugh got the start and 13^th win by limiting a season-high 13 hits against to just four runs over seven full innings. Read about the doubleheader, here.
 
Series History vs. St. Bonaventure
The Rams hold a 30-17 all-time advantage against the Bonnies since 1996. St. Bonaventure took eight of the first nine contests in the series and 11 of the first 14 but the Rams have since enjoyed a lot of success against their upstate New York rivals, winning eight of 11 between 2004 and 2007 and 14 of the last 15 contests in the series since the start of the 2010 season. Last year, the midweek doubleheader in the Bronx provided two of the most dramatic wins in Fordham's season, with back-to-back extra-inning walk-off wins for the Rams. Even more dramatic was that it was both Amy Van Hoven's and Allie Bradian's first career home runs. In game one, the Bonnies had broken open a 2-2 deadlock with two runs against Lindsay Mayer in the ninth. After two quick outs in the bottom of the frame, Morgan Figueroa singled and Jessica Hughes walked before Van Hoven blasted the first pitch she saw over the right centerfield wall. Game two was just as exciting, with the two schools scoring one apiece in the seventh inning, the Rams using a Mayer RBI single in the seventh to force an eighth frame. Again, the Bonnies scored one run off Mayer as they had done in the previous inning, but this time, with no outs and Chelsea Skrepenak on second after reaching on an error, it was Allie Bradian's full-count home run into the left field netting that won it for Fordham.  
 
NCAA Rankings
The Fordham softball team is enjoying one of its best statistical seasons through nine weeks of play and it is reflected in the Division I rankings. The Rams offense has scuffled slightly recently, dropping its team average down to .299, ranked 58^th nationally and joint-fifth in the program's history, after ranking first at .310 just two weeks ago. Fordham still ranks inside the top-20 in scoring, now at 18^th in the country with an average of 6.02 runs scored per game, due to its high average, on-base percentage (.396 – 24^th), slugging percentage (.455 – 44^th) , home run rate (0.80 – 59^th), and stolen base rate (1.70 – 35^th). Fordham has continued its terrific performances in the circle, though, with the 34^th-best ERA nationwide (2.20) and a very steady defense behind them (.966 – 69^th). The Rams rank first in the A-10 in all of the above except slugging percentage, ranked second, and batting average, ranked third, behind George Washington and Dayton.
 
Individually, Shaw remains in the top-10 for run-producing stats, while Hughes' recent dip in offensive production has her falling a little, although she remains among the elite in several categories. Hughes remains an on-base machine, ranked 25^th with a .525 on-base percentage, including 20^th with her 0.81 walks per game. Her five triples ranks 15^th in the country and her 1.02 runs scored per contest ranks 29^th. Her batting average, dipping below .400 at .395, ranks 109^th. Shaw, meanwhile, is sixth and eighth, respectively, with 54 RBI and 1.23 RBI per game. The duo's slugging percentages of .726 and .709, respectively, are 51^st and 60^th. The pair also each have 90 total bases on the season, ranked 32^nd overall. Both Quense (52^nd – 0.67) and Canessa (84^th – 0.59) also rank in the top-85 in walks per contest. Canessa, just like last year, remains one of the tougher hitters to strike out, ranking 90^th in the nation with a strikeout every 19.4 at-bats. She's struck out just seven times while walking 26 times.
 
Quense's 15 wins, two away from her personal-best set last year, rank 43^rd in the country and first in the league, and her 2.15 ERA ranks 124^th. Surrounding her is Stocks (83^rd – 1.88) and Aughinbaugh (130^th – 2.19). Stocks also ranks 44^th overall with just 4.70 hits allowed per seven innings, too.
 
Fordham at 51st in latest NCAA RPI
The Rams opened with an initial RPI ranking of 35^th three weeks ago but have since dropped 16 spots. Fordham remains the top team in the northeast according to the rankings, however, six spots ahead of Saint Francis (Pa.) and 12 ahead of Boston College.
 
Baylor, who the Rams defeated in the season opener, 1-0, is ranked 10^th overall. The Rams have also defeated top-50 teams in Tulsa (32), Florida Atlantic (39), and Northwestern (49). You can check out the rankings here.
 
Shaw Drives 'Em In
Junior Madison Shaw has tallied 54 RBIs thus far through 44 games, ranked top-10 in the country and already joint fourth all-time in a single season, along with Elise Fortier in 2013, in program history. With the bases empty, Shaw bats a solid .348. However, with runners on, the Raynham, Mass. native bumps that up to .407. With runners in scoring position, it's up to .414. With the bases juiced, Shaw is 7-for-10 on the year (.700) and with a runner on third and less than two outs, Shaw has successfully driven in a teammate 16-of-19 times (.842).
 
Shaw is currently riding a five-game streak of driving in at least one run, a stretch that has helped her secure Co-Player of the Week honors. She's got "only" seven RBI during that run after driving in 21 over a six-game stretch in early March, including a career-best seven against Rutgers on March 3. She has gone RBI-less in just 20 of the teams' 44 contests thus far.
 
Leading Off
The Rams offense has been especially potent this season and a big part of that is leadoff hitters consistently reaching base. Jessica Hughes is one of the country's top leadoff hitters, batting .540 whenever leading off, although that's down from her absurd .632 average that she carried two weeks ago.  She's not the only one, as Sydney Canessa (.517), Lindsay Mayer (.438), and Madison Shaw (.367), all reach at an above average clip or better, as well as Van Hoven before her injury (.375). As a team, Fordham leadoff hitters have a .367 batting average (104-for-283) after going 7-for-20 over the weekend.

Patience is a Virtue
The Rams are one of the most patient teams in the country, racking up 179 walks already, tied for third-most in school history, and are doing it nearly as often as they strikeout (181). The walk total is 65 more than Saint Louis' 114.
 
Situational Stats
Other reasons for the Rams offense being so successful this year is driving in runners in scoring position. As a team, Fordham is batting .318 (141-for-444) with a runner on second, third, or both, and .333 (26-for-78) with the bases loaded. Also, with a runner on third and less than two outs, the Rams bat a blistering .537 (72-for-134).
 
Meanwhile, the pitchers hold opponents to an overall .233 average. Leadoff hitters do reach base at an above-average pace (.317) but the Rams are limiting opponents after that to just .222 with runners on.
 
Quense Tosses 14^th No-Hitter in Program History
The senior hurler was lights out against Bryant on Sunday, February 19, tossing six innings of no-hit ball, allowing just a fourth-inning walk, plus a batter that reached on an error later in the contest, with three strikeouts. Quense became the fifth Ram to ever throw a no-hitter in program history. 
 
Keeping up with the Record Book
Sydney Canessa continues her climb up several rankings, most notably her 175 runs scored now rank second all-time, just six back of Allison Twarowski '08. The senior is now top-five in four-year batting average, at-bats, hits, doubles, total bases, walks, and just outside in home runs, RBIs, and on-base percentage. Hughes' .525 on-base percentage currently ranks first all-time in a single year, the first time any player has gone over the .500 mark. The sophomore's 71 career walks are also already up to eighth all-time. Lauren Quense became the eighth Ram to reach 250 career strikeouts.
 
You can check out the record book, here.
 
Fordham Softball Archived Stories
It's been a very active first three months for the Fordham softball team, including 15 weekly A-10 awards, a no-hitter, and a 31-10 record through nineweeks. You can read all of the team's archived stories from this season and beyond, here.
 
Fordham Quick Facts
You can find this season's full schedule, roster, and quick facts, plus last year's season statistics, all here.
 
Fordham Picked to Successfully Defend A-10 Title
The Rams received nine of 10 first-place votes in the preseason coaches' poll, it was announced last week. Fordham has won four straight conference tournament titles and five of the last six, plus three regular season championships in the past six years, as well.
 
The Rams return all eight position player starters, losing only starting pitcher/DP Rachel Gillen. Second Teamer Lauren Quense returns for her senior campaign to anchor a staff that will include three freshmen. The Rams have six newcomers, five freshmen and one sophomore transfer, and will have one more underclassmen this season than upperclassmen.
 
Welcoming New Faces
The program welcomed six new players to the Bronx this season: pitchers Madison Aughinbaugh, Taylor Stocks, and Stephanie Rundlett, infielders Skylar Johnston and Brielle Cerchio, and outfielder Deanna Burbridge. You can read about the first four signing their NLIs last winter here. Aughinbaugh and Rundlett were named their respective states' Players of the Year. Head coach Bridget Orchard has also announced five recruits for the class of 2021 that have recently signed their NLIs.
 
Up Next
The Rams return home for seven games across two weeks to round out the home portion of the 2017 schedule. First up is George Washington this weekend, a three-game set with a Saturday doubleheader beginning at noon and Sunday's series finale at 1 p.m.