Softball Hosts St. Bonaventure for Wednesday Doubleheader

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Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham softball team (22-17, 10-1 A-10) is on a seven-game win streak, including five straight in Atlantic 10 action, as it prepares for a midweek doubleheader against St. Bonaventure (8-24, 1-10 A-10) on Wednesday afternoon at Bahoshy Field.
 
Fans can follow along with all the action via the links above.  
 
Last Time Out
Fordham notched a pair of one-hit shutouts at Rhode Island on Saturday afternoon before Sunday's series finale was cancelled due to inclement weather. In the 38^th and 39^th Battle of the Rams, Fordham walked away with a 10-0 five-inning victory and a 7-0 win. Freshman Paige Rauch earned her second Rookie of the Week accolade thanks to an incredible performance up in Kingston where the hosts were unable to get her out. Rauch went 4-for-4 at the dish with three home runs, including leadoff home runs in each contest, five runs batted in, five runs scored, four walks, a triple, and a stolen base, while twirling a complete seven-inning one-hitter in game two. Madie Aughinbaugh allowed a double and a walk in her first inning of game one but was perfect otherwise. Rauch gave her all the offense she'd need with her first leadoff home run of the day and added a two-run shot in the fourth and a RBI triple in the fifth. The final blow came on a Madi Shaw grand slam, her first since returning from a short injury layoff. Rauch twirled her second consecutive shutout in game two, allowing just a single and a walk while punching out five. After Rauch's final home run of the day to start the contest, she was intentionally walked her next three times up. Chelsea Skrepenak added a second run with a sacrifice fly in the third and launched a two-run home run, her fourth of the year, to center in the fifth. In the sixth, Molly Roark smacked a solo shot, Skylar Johnston drew a bases-loaded walk, and final run scored on an error. Sophomore Brielle Cerchio also tallied her first career extra-base hit with a pinch-hit double.
 
Series History vs. St. Bonaventure
Fordham leads the all-time series, 32-17, dating back to 1996, the first year the Rams competed in the Atlantic 10. The Bonnies won the majority of games in the early portion of the series but since 2009, Fordham has won 17 of the last 19 contests, including a record-setting performance in last year's doubleheader sweep up in Olean, N.Y. The Rams won game one, 23-8, in six innings, setting a new program record for runs in a game and tying the record for runs batted in, with 21. Sydney Canessa led the way by breaking a long-standing single-game record for hits in a game by going 6-for-6 with eight runs batted in and four runs scored. Current players Aughinbaugh, Johnston, Lauren Quense, Shaw, and Jordy Storm combined to go 17-for-36 with 15 RBIs and 17 runs scored across both games.
 
NCAA Ranks
As a team, the Rams rank within the top-100 in five categories: Fordham averages 1.03 dingers per contest (27^th), 5.38 runs per game (50^th), 0.23 triples per contest (60^th), has a .444 slugging percentage (59^th), a 2.17 K/BB ratio (75^th), and a 2.85 team ERA (83^rd). At the individual level, a few Rams are within the top-100. Rauch has been excellent at the plate and in the circle to begin her Fordham career and ranks eighth in the nation with 1.10 runs per game, 11^th with 0.79 walks per game, 14^th with five triples, 27^th with 12 home runs, 49^th with a .761 slugging percentage, and 66^th with 86 total bases. Her 1.49 ERA also sits 42^nd nationally. Skylar Johnston's 0.31 doubles per game ranks 71^st. The trio of Johnston, Rauch, and Madi Shaw have averages of 0.23, 0.31, and 0.26 home runs per game, ranked 96^th, 28^th, an 64^th, respectively. In the circle, Aughinbaugh's 5.13 strikeout-to-walk ratio ranks 29^th in the country, while the sophomore is tied for tops in all of Division I… with just one hit batter all year, tied with 11 others. Skrepenak's .388 batting average ranks 117^th, as well.
 
Atlantic 10 Ranks
The Rams leads the Atlantic 10 with 40 home runs, are second with 210 runs and 195 RBIs, and fourth with 277 hits. Fordham also tops the league with both 140 walks and 262 strikeouts, the latter number already matching last year's total. In the circle, the Rams' 2.85 team ERA ranks second over the third-most innings (252.2).
 
Skrepenak's .388 average ranks fourth and her .448 on-base percentage ranks sixth. Ahead of her is Rauch at four with a .476 on-base percentage, while Storm sits 14^th at .420. Rauch's .761 slugging percentage also ranks fourth, right ahead of Skylar Johnston at six (.605) and Skrepenak at eight (.592). Johnston's 12 doubles are joint-third most thus far, while Rauch is the first A-10 player to hit 30 walks on the year (31). Her five triples are tied with St. Bonaventure's Alexandra Deal for tops and 43 runs are second-most. Aughinbaugh and Rauch became the third and fourth pitchers to reach 10 wins on the season. The former's 110.0 innings pitched are joint third-most and her 2.93 ERA sits ninth, while Rauch's 1.49 ERA sits second-lowest just .15 behind Dayton's Manda Cash.
 
Program Ranks
While Madi Shaw and Lauren Quense have continued to steadily climb various program top-10s, one player has made an early appearance on several – Madie Aughinbaugh. Shaw continues to be a fixture in the triple slash line categories and is now up to sixth with 145 RBIs, joint-fourth with 35 home runs, and joint-eighth with 72 walks. Quense, meanwhile, sits within the top-three of several pitching categories and most recently entered the top-five with her 35^th career complete game at Iona last Tuesday. Aughinbaugh has enjoyed a tremendous season and a half in maroon and white and recently joined the top-10 for wins, now tied for eighth with 28 career victories, and is up to seventh with eight career shutouts. The sophomore, among pitchers with 200 or more innings, is also sixth all-time with a 2.41 ERA. A year ago, Aughinbaugh got into the top-10 for single-season wins, with 18, and this season is one of 10 in school history with at least five shutouts. Check out the softball record book HERE.
 
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 last Sunday. In her 17th season at the helm, Orchard has a 609-371 record in the Bronx.
 
Aughinbaugh and Rauch's Earlier Honors
Aughinbaugh and Rauch had each previously earned their respective awards earlier this season. To read more about each, click here and here, respectively.
 
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.
 
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 travel to Saint Louis this weekend for a three-game series, the team's final road conference contests of the regular season.
 
Continue to keep up to date with the program on social media: @FordhamSoftball on Twitter and Instagram, and here at FordhamSports.com!