Softball Clinches Fifth Atlantic 10 Regular Season Title

Philadelphia, Pa. – Through on-and-off rain showers on Sunday afternoon, the Fordham softball team clinched its fifth-ever Atlantic 10 regular season championship with a 12-1 five-inning victory over La Salle, capping a series sweep. The Rams improved to 42-14 on the year, tied for the second-most victories in school history, and 18-5 in league play, matching last year's program record of conference wins.
 
Fordham will be the #1 overall seed at this week's A-10 Championship, hosted by George Mason, and will play an opponent still to be determined on Thursday.
 
Freshman Taylor Stocks made her fifth career start and picked up her sixth win of the year with just one run allowed, a third-inning solo home run, on two hits with three walks and a pair of strikeouts. Stephanie Rundlett finished off the game with a clean fifth frame, allowing a single and striking out two, both swinging.
 
The Rams jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second inning when the bottom of the order came through. Lindsay Mayer walked to start the frame, as did Stocks two batters later, and Chelsea Skrepenak drove home the former with a double to the left centerfield gap. Madison Aughinbaugh then doubled to right to drive in the other two. Fordham loaded the bases in the third with one out but were unable to drive anyone in.
 
The Rams put up eight runs in a long rain-soaked fourth inning to take an 11-1 lead. Sydney Canessa was hit with a pitch to begin the frame and Jessica Hughes walked thereafter, the duo advancing a base on a wild pitch. Madison Shaw opened the scoring with a two-run single to left before advancing herself on another wild pitch. Skylar Johnston and Mayer both walked to load the bases for Amy Van Hoven, who drove a single up the middle to score one. With the bases still loaded, Skrepenak stepped up and smacked a ball beyond the left field wall for a grand slam, giving her a career-high five RBIs on the day. Later in the frame, Hughes doubled with a hard-hit ball to the left centerfield gap and the bases would load once again with two outs but La Salle worked out of it.
 
Head coach Bridget Orchard went to her bench in the fifth inning and the reserves tacked on one more. Kylie Michael walked on five pitches and moved over to second on a groundout by Brielle Cerchio. Stephanie Ferri, who had come in an inning earlier to catch, ripped a double down the leftfield line to score Michael and cap the scoring at 12. Rundlett came on for Stocks in the fifth and worked around a leadoff hit by pitch and a one-out single to strike out two and finish the contest.
 
Every starter besides Mayer and Stocks recorded at least one hit, although the pair each walked three times and scored twice. Van Hoven and Skrepenak each enjoyed multi-hit games, with two hits apiece, while the team, as a whole, walked 12 times compared to two strikeouts, one shy of the program record for walks in a game, and finishing the regular season with 247 walks and 231 strikeouts.
 
With the regular season in the rearview, the Rams have so far set single-season team records for batting average (.311), RBIs (323), walks (247), on-base percentage (.413), and are three away with 85 stolen bases, as well.
 
Stay tuned to FordhamSports.com and @FordhamSoftball on Twitter for news about Thursday's match-up at the A-10 Championship as the Rams look to make it five straight league titles.