Bronx, N.Y. - The Fordham softball team split its two contests on Saturday of its weekend tournament, losing a late lead in an extra-inning 7-6 loss to Holy Cross in the early afternoon but rebounding with a resounding 9-2 win over Seton Hall right after. With the day's results, the Rams improve to 8-15 on the season heading into tomorrow's one-off with Detroit-Mercy.
Graduate pitcher
Lauren Quense had a perfect game through four frames against the Crusaders and was staked with a 1-0 lead when
Jordy Storm drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the fourth, but Holy Cross tallied its first four hits of the afternoon in the top of the fifth and plated its first two runs as a result. The damage came with two outs and the bases empty, a double followed by a two-run home run, although Quense was able to work out of a jam with runners on second and third moments later. The Rams offense answered with three runs in the bottom half of the fifth to take a 4-2 lead.
Paige Rauch drove in both
Brianna Pinto and
Gianna Ranieri, pinch-running for
Maria Trivelpiece and
Skylar Johnston, respectively, with a double to the right-centerfield gap, and came all the way around to score herself on an error by the shortstop.
Anne Marie Prentiss relieved Quense and worked around a two-on, two-out jam for a clean sixth but the freshman ran into trouble in the seventh. Prior to that, Fordham added another run the next frame on a Johnston RBI single with the bases juiced to make it 5-2. Holy Cross rallied with four runs on four hits to retake the lead, 6-5, in that seventh inning. With one out, the Crusadors strung together two runs on three straight hits in a row to knock Prentiss out of the game and bring Quense back in. Quense got out number two but allowed a two-run home run to give up the lead.
Fordham didn't go quietly, though, and tied the game up when
Chelsea Skrepenak scored on a
Kylie Michael single. The tournament opts for international rules and a runner was placed on second base for each team in the eighth. Holy Cross was able to drive theirs in, while Fordham could not. A seeing eye single through the right side gave the Crusaders the lead and the Rams went down in order to round out the game.
The Rams got on the board in the first inning against the Pirates and, despite a brief taking of the lead by Seton Hall in the top of the fourth, coasted to a 9-2 lead with eight runs scored over their final three frames.
Madie Aughinbaugh cruised to her second victory in as many days with two runs allowed on eight hits and a walk over seven complete frames, punching out six, and did damage at the plate, as well, by going 3-for-4 with a double, a RBI, and a run scored.
Tallying multi-hit games against the Pirates were also Johnston, Michael, and Skrepenak, each with two hits and at least one run driven in. Johnston and
Madi Shaw went back-to-back home runs in the fifth inning to retake the lead for good, while Michael drove in one with a double. Rauch went hitless but reached twice and scored twice via two walks. Trivelpiece also drove in a run with an opposite-way single in the fourth.
For the day, Johnston led the way with a team-high five hits in eight at-bats, a home run, two doubles, and four runs driven in. Michael was right behind her by going 4-for-6.
The Rams wrap up their tournament tomorrow with Detroit-Mercy at 11 a.m.
