Tuscaloosa, Ala. – The Fordham softball team let a late lead slip away to Boston College in the weekend finale of the Easton Crimson Classic as the Eagles scored three runs in the final two frames to win, 4-2. As a result, the Rams finish the weekend with a 2-3 record and fall to 6-14 on the season.
For a third time this weekend,
Madi Shaw got Fordham on the board in the first inning. The senior struck a single through the right side to score both
Paige Rauch and
Chelsea Skrepenak, who had walked and singled, respectively, and moved over a base on
Skylar Johnston's groundout. The Rams would hold that lead until the sixth inning when the Eagles tied the game up at 2-2 and then took the lead in the top half of the seventh.
Boston College threatened in the first, with Lexi DiEmmanuele singling to third on a bunt but was thrown out trying to steal by
Kylie Michael. A double and walk would follow but
Madie Aughinbaugh was able to keep the Eagles off the board. After a clean second frame, Boston College got on the board in the third through a sacrifice fly, leaving a runner on third base with just one out but Aughinbaugh fought back to induce infield pop-ups to minimize the damage.
Aughinbaugh tossed another pair of perfect frames but an error led to another sac fly and a tie game in the sixth inning. Johnston led the bottom half of the sixth with a double to left center, her team-leading sixth of the season, but the Rams couldn't drive her in. The Eagles responded by plating the go-ahead runs the following frame with a bunt squeeze play with one out and a RBI single right after.
Lauren Quense came in to record the final out.
Aughinbaugh took her sixth loss of the season, allowing four runs, two earned, on eight hits and two walks, while striking out five over 6.2 innings. At the plate,
Deanna Burbridge, Johnston, Shaw, and Skrepenak all recorded a hit, while Rauch and
Jordy Storm each walked.
The Rams now return to the Bronx for a road game against Hofstra on Tuesday at 3 p.m. before hosting the Fordham Tournament next weekend, hosting Massachusetts-Lowell, Holy Cross, Seton Hall, and Detroit Mercy over three days.
