Queens, N.Y. – It wasn't just the heat packing a punch on the hottest day of the season thus far as the Fordham softball team and St. John's combined for 25 runs and 31 hits in a 14-11 victory for the latter. At least two runs were scored in seven different half-innings and a combined 10 balls were hit out of the park on Wednesday afternoon. With the loss, the Rams fall to 27-21 on the year, while the Red Storm improve to 21-25 overall.
The Red Storm jumped out to a 5-0 lead after the first frame but Fordham immediately responded with six runs in the top half of the second. St. John's retook the lead for good in the third with a pair of runs and added three more in the fourth. The fifth inning was the lone frame in which neither team scored but, fittingly, the sixth provided the highest run total as the Rams scored three and St. John's answered with four in the bottom half. The Rams' seventh-inning rally of two runs fell short, however, to extend the team's losing streak to four.
St. John's didn't waste any time with five runs in the first off starter
Madie Aughinbaugh, the most earned runs the sophomore has allowed since a start against Robert Morris on March 3. Lauren Zick singled to lead off the contest, stole second and third, and came around to score on Krystal Puga's single. Two two-run home runs followed and the Red Storm again put runners in scoring position but Aughinbaugh worked out of it with a pair of groundouts.
Fordham responded right away as
Deanna Burbridge doubled into the left centerfield gap. Aughinbaugh reached on an error but was thrown out at second on
Maria Trivelpiece's fielder's choice. Burbridge moved to third on the play and Trivelpiece stole second afterwards, the former scoring the visitors' first run on an RBI single by
Brianna Pinto, who made the start at second base for the first time this season.
Madi Shaw, batting leadoff for the first time this year, drove in both with a single to right.
Skylar Johnston then ripped a two-run home run to dead center and
Chelsea Skrepenak went back-to-back with the sophomore with one of her own to the same spot. Madison Morris replaced Elyse Morris in the circle and the former was able to end the inning by inducing a flyout.
Lauren Quense came on in relief of Aughinbaugh in the second and tossed a perfect third but the Rams couldn't score Burbridge in the top half of the third after she had led off with another double for a second straight inning. A walk and a two-run home run started the bottom half of the frame for the hosts before Quense got three straight outs but St. John's had retaken the lead for good, 7-6. The Red Storm added three more in the fourth as St. John's went back-to-back with a two-run home run and a solo shot. The Rams led off the fifth with a pair of walks but the pair of Quense and Burbridge were left stranded.
Paige Rauch came in to pitch the fifth and worked around a pair of one-out singles. In the top of the sixth, the Rams rallied to get within one, all with no outs. Shaw was hit by a pitch and Rauch launched a no-doubt home run to right before Johnston notched her second of the day with a frozen rope over the left centerfield wall. St. John's didn't waste any time padding its lead with four more insurance runs in the bottom half on four hits and a walk to make it 14-9.
With a final chance to extend the contest, the Rams loaded the bases with a trio of singles by Trivelpiece, Pinto, and Shaw to begin the frame. However, despite two runs scoring via a Johnston walk and a Skrepenak hit by pitch, Morris worked out of the jam to secure the win.
Burbridge, Johnston, Pinto, Rauch, Shaw, and Skrepenak all tallied two hits in the contest with Johnston also walking once and Burbridge twice.
The 14 runs are the most given up by Fordham since UC Santa Barbara plated 12 in the third game of this season, back on February 17. The last time an opponent scored 14 or more runs was back on February 21, 2016, when #3 Auburn scored 18 in five innings.
The Rams close out the 2018 regular season this weekend by welcoming La Salle to the Bronx for a three-game series. One win will clinch the #2 seed at the A-10 Championship, held at Bahoshy Field next week, and a first-round bye. Saturday's doubleheader, with a Senior Day ceremony between games, will begin at noon, and Sunday's series finale will start at 1 p.m.
