Softball Opens Atlantic 10 Play with Three-Game Series at Dayton

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Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham softball team (9-15) has wrapped up the majority of its nonconference slate and begins Atlantic 10 play this weekend against Dayton (8-14) with a three-game series. Due to impending weather on Saturday, the originally scheduled doubleheader has been moved up to Friday with a 3 p.m. start time. Sunday's 12 p.m. series finale is still on as scheduled. 
 
Fans can watch all three contests or follow along via live stats and Twitter updates via the links above. 
 
Last Time Out
Fordham hosted UMass-Lowell, Holy Cross, Seton Hall, and Detroit Mercy last weekend for the Fordham Tournament. The Rams went 3-1 with the lone loss being in extra innings to the Crusaders. Against UMass-Lowell, Madi Shaw powered the hosts to a 5-2 victory with a two-run home run in the first inning and a RBI double in the third. In the circle, Madie Aughinbaugh allowed two runs, one earned, on seven hits and no walks, with five strikeouts. Against Holy Cross, Lauren Quense was perfect through four frames but allowed a two-run home run in the fifth to allow the Crusaders to take a brief 2-1 lead. After Fordham had retaken the lead, Quense and Anne Marie Prentiss combined to allow four runs in the seventh frame, which gave Holy Cross another advantage. The offense rallied again, however, with Kylie Michael driving Chelsea Skrepenak in with a single, but Quense gave up the winning run in the eighth. The team rebounded with two resounding wins to wrap up the weekend, first a 9-2 victory over Seton Hall, with the offense tallying 12 hits and four walks, including four multi-hit efforts, and a massive 21-0 five-inning win over Detroit Mercy on Sunday, marking the third-most runs in a single game and also tying the record for most RBIs in a game (21) and doubles (6). Four more multi-hit games came in that one, with 14 total hits on the day, plus 11 walks. Michael and Jordy Storm each drove in a career-high four runs in the win. 
 
Aughinbaugh Named Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Week
The sophomore earned her first honor of the season after leading Fordham to three victories last weekend in the circle. Aughinbaugh made four appearances, including three starts, all of which she went the distance in. For the weekend, the Port Tobacco, Md. native compiled a 1.07 ERA over 19.2 innings with 20 strikeouts, with wins over UMass-Lowell, Seton Hall, and Detroit Mercy. Read more about it, here. 
 
Series History vs. Dayton
The all-time series with the Flyers is tied, 25-25, after Fordham swept Dayton in the last home series of the regular season a year ago. In that series, Madi Shaw walked off twice, first in game one of a Senior Day doubleheader and again in the Sunday series finale with a single with the bases loaded. Lauren Quense powered the Rams with a go-ahead two-run home run in game two and earned one win over two starts that weekend, allowing just two runs over 13 frames.
 
Coach Orchard Earns Win Number 600 in Maroon and White
Bridget Orchard celebrated her 700th career victory last season with a 7-0 shutout in game one of a doubleheader against Saint Joseph's last April 2nd and reached another milestone this past weekend at home, tallying her 600th win as Fordham head coach in style, with a 21-0 win over Detroit Mercy on Sunday. In her 17th season at the helm, Orchard has a 600-370 record in the Bronx.

Rauch Named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week
Paige Rauch previously took home the program's first piece of hardware two weeks ago when she was named Rookie of the Week. She slashed .357/.500/1.000 at the plate with a pair of solo home runs, a team-high five walks and runs scored, and four runs driven in, and made four appearances in the circle, three starts, and walked away with a 3-1 record, allowing just six runs, five earned, on 13 hits and 10 walks across 21.2 innings (1.62 ERA), while striking out 14. Read more about Rauch's weekend, here.
 
Fordham Picked to Successfully Defend A-10 Title
Like a year ago, Fordham received nine of 10 possible first-place votes and 99 points from the league's head coaches and have thus been picked to successfully defend its Atlantic 10 championship for a sixth consecutive year. You can read more about that, here. The Rams have won five straight tournament titles and six of the last seven, plus five regular season titles, as well, in the past eight years.
 
Keeping up with the Record Book
As mentioned, 17 school records were broken or tied last year. Quense and Shaw continue their climbs up the all-time lists in their final campaigns in maroon and white. Check it all out, here.
 
Fordham Softball Archived Stories
Read up on Fordham's offseason turnover, season previews, game previews and recaps. 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.
 
Welcoming New Faces
The program welcomed seven new players to the Bronx this season, six freshmen and one transfer. Infielder Rachel Hubertus, infielder Brianna Pinto, pitcher Anne Marie Prentiss, pitcher/infielder Paige Rauch, and pitcher Gianna Ranieri were announced last November in the initial five-person class, while utility player Kelly Bright and JuCo transfer catcher Molly Roark were announced in June. Coach Orchard also revealed her initial five-player 2018 recruiting class this past fall.
 
Up Next
The Rams have the postponed Hofstra game on Tuesday afternoon at 3 p.m. before heading to Saint Joseph's next weekend to continue conference action. 
 
Continue to keep up to date with the program on social media: @FordhamSoftball on Twitter and Instagram, and here at FordhamSports.com!