Bronx, N.Y. – Despite the unusual chilly conditions for an April Atlantic 10 Saturday doubleheader, the Fordham softball team swept the day's contests, 4-2 and 10-0, respectively, over George Mason to improve to 7-1 in league action. No earned runs came across against
Madie Aughinbaugh, who allowed two unearned runs, and
Paige Rauch, who tossed her first career shutout, as graduate
Lauren Quense capped the day's scoring with her first home run of the season, a game-ending grand slam. Fordham gets above .500 for the first time this season at 18-17 overall and 7-1 in conference play, while the Patriots fall to 11-22 and 2-6, respectively.
The Rams trailed just once all day when the Patriots took a brief 1-0 lead in the fourth inning of game one. With two outs, Jess Curbeira reached on an error and came around to score on Brooke Sullivan's right centerfield gap double.
Skylar Johnston quickly brought the game back to a tie once again with a frozen rope of a solo home run over the left centerfield wall. The offense finally busted loose in the fifth, scoring three with two outs.
Brianna Pinto singled to left center and stole second, Rauch walked, and
Chelsea Skrepenak doubled them both in.
Deanna Burbridge drove in Skrepenak with a hard-hit single up the middle.
Aughinbaugh picked up her 10
th win of the season with two runs allowed, none earned, on five hits and one walk with one strikeout over seven complete frames. Both Pinto and Skrepenak each tallied multiple hits, both extra-base hits for the latter, also tripling in the first inning. The Rams worked around three errors in the field, as well, to keep the Patriots to just two runs.
Rauch took to the circle in game two and allowed just five baserunners on two singles, two walks, and one error behind her. Fordham again came through with two outs, plating a pair in the second inning on a
Kylie Michael RBI single to right to score
Jordy Storm and a
Lauren Quense RBI double down the left field line.
George Mason's largest threat came in the third when Alyssa Lawton singled and Madison Aker walked to begin the frame. Sullivan bunted the duo over but Paige was able to induce a groundout to Johnston and a line out to Skrepenak to end the inning. Johnston nearly mashed her second solo home run of the day but the ball bounced off the top of the centerfield wall and back into play as the sophomore recorded her league-leading 12
th double of the year. The Rams added a third in the fourth frame via Pinto. The freshman reached on a bunt single, moved over on a groundout, stole third and scored on a throwing error by the catcher. The game came to a screeching halt in the fifth on a pair of home runs to score seven and enact the run rule.
Skrepenak walked to begin the inning and Johnston reached on a throwing error. Rauch stepped up and mashed her seventh bomb of the season to dead center to make it a six-run game. George Mason went to the bullpen and Taylor Mayer in relief of Hallie Gordon but the Rams offense wasn't done. Burbridge singled up the middle and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Storm ripped a single through the right side and Michael walked after Pinto was called out early for leaving the box. Quense stepped up and smoked a grand slam, her first round-tripper of the campaign, to left center to give her team the walk-off victory.
Every batter besides Aughinbaugh reached base and scored at least once in game two, with Quense and Storm notching multi-hit games. Both Quense and Rauch matched their career-highs in RBIs, with five and three, respectively, in game two. Pinto and Storm led the way with three hits on the day, while Burbridge, Johnston, Quense, and Skrepenak each notched a pair of hits. Pinto also stole three more bases.
Fordham and George Mason meet in the series finale tomorrow at 1 p.m. at Bahoshy Field.
