Softball Secures Sixth Straight Atlantic 10 Championship

Bronx, N.Y. – Behind a third straight stellar pitching performance from sophomore Madie Aughinbaugh, the Atlantic 10 Championship's Most Outstanding Player, and home runs from Paige Rauch and Lauren Quense, the latter a two-out go-ahead grand slam in the fourth inning, the Fordham softball team earned its sixth consecutive Atlantic 10 title and NCAA Regional berth with a 6-4 win over Massachusetts on Saturday afternoon in front of a raucous crowd at Bahoshy Field. The Rams improve to 33-21 with the win, the team's sixth straight, while the Minutewomen end their season at 35-13.
 
Fordham will find out its NCAA Regional destination on Sunday night. Fans can follow along with the team with the NCAA Selection Show on ESPNU at 10 p.m. EST.
 
Needing just one win against top-seeded UMass and with the game's start time in constant flux with the changing inclement weather forecast, things worked out for the Rams as once it stopped raining late in the morning, it didn't again throughout the contest. Fordham rushed out to a six-run lead after four frames but the Minutewomen clawed back four runs in the fifth and sixth and threatened for more in the seventh, making for three very tense innings.
 
Aughinbaugh went five more innings on Saturday, making the start for a third straight day, and kept UMass off the board until the fourth inning when Jena Cozza hit a two-run home run. The sophomore allowed two batters to reach to start the sixth, one scoring on a throwing error, and Rauch was brought on to limit the damage. The freshman allowed one further run to score but kept the Minutewomen to a two-run deficit. Rauch allowed a one-out walk and single but got the final two outs to secure her second save and the title.
 
Quense provided the biggest hit of the day with a two-out grand slam, her second of the season, to put the Rams up 6-0 in the fourth. Fordham nearly got on the board with one out in the first as Skylar Johnston smashed a ball off the top of the wall in centerfield, hit so hard she only reached first base. However, the sophomore was left stranded. The Rams threatened briefly again when Madi Shaw ripped a double the opposite way to left center but Johnston grounded out to end the frame.

 
After another 1-2-3 frame for Aughinbaugh, the Rams finally broke through in the fourth. Rauch blasted a solo shot that hit off the A-10 Championship logo in straightaway center to lead off the inning and Deanna Burbridge drove in Quense, who had singled, with a chopped single to deep shortstop with two outs, using her speed to beat the throw by Kaitlyn Stavinoha.
 
Massachusetts looked set to reply immediately, as they did on Friday, when Kaycee Carbone singled and Melissa Garcia reached on an error, putting runners on second and third with nobody out. However, Aughinbaugh buckled down and struck out both Madison Gimpl and Amy Smith swinging before getting Stavinoha to fly out to escape the jam. The fifth began without much action as Shaw was hit by a pitch but Meg Colleran was able to strike both Rauch and Johnston out. However, Colleran walked Chelsea Skrepenak and Aughinbaugh punched a single to left before Quense delivered the big blow with a full count.
 
Aughinbaugh allowed a Garcia double and a Gimpl single to begin the sixth, the former scoring on a throwing error attempting to get the latter at first, and head coach Bridget Orchard opted to go with Rauch in relief. Rauch struggled with her control at first, walking two to load the bases but induced a shallow fly to get out number two. Orchard opted to intentionally walk Cozza, allowing a run, and Rauch got Erin Stacevicz to ground out to her to end the inning. The freshman worked around a one-out walk and infield single to get a infield pop-up and then a fly ball to Burbridge to end the game.
 
Aughinbaugh, Rauch, Chelsea Skrepenak, and Madi Shaw were named to the All-Championship team.
 
This was just the third time the Rams have been designated the "visitor" at Bahoshy Field after Friday against UMass and in 2009, also against the Minutewomen. Fordham improves to 8-12 against UMass at A-10 Championships and 7-2 since 2010.