Aughinbaugh, Hughes Shine in Doubleheader Sweep of Saint Joseph's

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Bronx, N.Y. – After having a five-game shutout streak snapped yesterday by Saint Joseph's, the Fordham softball team rebounded with a doubleheader sweep of the Hawks on Sunday to win the three-game series. With the victories, the Rams improve to 27-8 on the year and 5-1 in A-10 play, while the Hawks fall to 9-18 overall and 3-3 in league action.
 
Games one and two were completely different but the outcomes were the same – two more Atlantic 10 wins for the Rams. Madison Aughinbaugh picked up wins in both contests and was terrific, allowing just one run in 10 innings. Fordham downed the Hawks, 7-0, in the matinee before a long game two saw two late rallies by the Rams, including a two-run walk-off home run off the bat of Jessica Hughes to win, 4-3, after Saint Joseph's had taken the lead in the top half of the 10^th inning.
 
Aughinbaugh fired six shutout innings in game one, allowing just two hits and a walk, while striking out six, before being relieved by Taylor Stocks for the final frame. The Rams got to Hawks starter Madison Clarke early, with the go-ahead run scoring as part of a three-run second inning when Hughes doubled in Ally Vergona. Fordham had threatened in the first inning, putting runners at second and third to start the game, when Hughes singled to first and moved to second on an Aughinbaugh sac bunt, followed by a Sydney Canessa bunt single and stolen base. However, Clarke was able to work out of the jam despite later walking Lindsay Mayer to load the bases.
 
Maria Trivelpiece led off the second frame with a single to left center but was thrown out at second on Vergona's fielder's choice. Morgan Figueroa reached on a throwing error by third baseman Taryn Grober  as Vergona moved to third, and Hughes doubled her in with a towering blast over the head of Amanda Kulp in center. Aughinbaugh lined out to the pitcher but Canessa deliver a well-placed ball to right center to score Figueroa and Vergona, and scoring herself after stealing second and crossing home plate on Shaw's single up the middle. The hit removed Clarke from the game, replaced by Ashley Stokes. The Rams added one more in the third on an Aughinbaugh infield single to third with the bases loaded.
 
The Rams nearly run-ruled the Hawks in the sixth inning but a bizarre situation led to the game continuing. Canessa led the inning off by getting hit by a pitch, prompting Stokes to come out of the game in favor or Abigail Stroud. Two pitches later and Shaw singled to right but right fielder Raelynn Genovese misplayed the ball, allowing Canessa to score from first and Shaw to scramble all the way to third. The junior scored on the next play, a groundout by Mayer, and the next three hitters all reached, Skylar Johnston on an error by Grober and two walks by Trivelpiece and Vergona. Figueroa grounded to the pitcher and reached as Stroud went for the force out at home but the next batter, Hughes, walked on five pitches, which wouldn't been an eight-run lead and the end of the game. However, after Trivelpiece crossed home plate, Figueroa jogged off the field never having touched second base, and home plate umpire Michael Eggleston called her out as a result, continuing the game. Taylor Stocks relieved Aughinbaugh and retired three straight batters after a leadoff single by Lindsay's sister Stacey Mayer.
 
Game two featured a pitcher's duel between Lauren Quense and Aughinbaugh and Saint Joseph's Ashley Ventura, who had pitched an eight inning shutout on Saturday. Ventura added five shutout innings to that tally before giving up two runs in the sixth and the walk-off home run to Hughes in the 10^th. The Hawks scored one run in the first and one in the fourth on two RBI singles. After five relatively quiet innings from the Rams offense, the bats broke through in the sixth. Johnston and Vergona each singled with one out, the former replaced on second base by Chelsea Skrepenak, who would score on the next batter, when Figueroa singled to the pitcher but Ventura throw the ball away trying to get the force out at third. Hughes came up big again next with a hard-hit single through the right side to plate Vergona, although Ventura battled back to get the final two outs.
 
Aughinbaugh entered the game in relief of Quense in the seventh and, although two batters reach, she would work out of the jam. Fordham got Shaw to second on a single and sac bunt by Mayer in the bottom of the frame but failed to bring her around. Neither team did much of anything in the eighth but the Hawks threatened in the ninth. Genovese singled up the middle and was moved over on a sac bunt. Molly Kapala was hit by a pitch and Amanda Kulp reached on an error by Aughinbaugh, who bobbled the groundball. With the bases loaded, the freshman reared back and struck out Jancarla Herrera on three pitches and induced a line out to Canessa to get out of the inning unscathed.
 
Both halves of the 10^th were packed with drama, first with a one-out go-ahead home run by Caela Abadie, her first of the year, to right center, the first run Aughinbaugh had allowed in her last five appearances and just the third run Fordham has allowed in its previous 48 innings. Fordham rallied in a big way in the bottom of the frame, when Figueroa blooped a single to shallow left with one out and Hughes turned on a high fastball, a no-doubter over the right field wall for the walk-off hit.
 
Aughinbaugh picked up the wins in both contests, improving to 9-3 on the year, while Ventura picked up her seventh loss after tossing over 200 pitches in her 9.1 innings.
 
Hughes finished the day batting 5-for-8 with the home run, four runs driven in, and two runs scored. Figueroa went 4-for-8 with two runs scored, Shaw finished 5-for-9, and Canessa notched three hits in seven at bats with a pair of stolen bases and RBIs.
 
Head coach Bridget Orchard picked up her 700^th career victory with the game one win.
 
The Rams have the week off before taking to the road for a three-game series at George Mason, site of this year's A-10 Championship.