Softball Welcomes La Salle for Three-Game Series to Wrap Regular Season

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Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham softball team (27-21, 15-4 A-10) readies itself for its final games of the 2018 regular season this weekend against visiting La Salle (12-31, 3-16 A-10). The two schools will play three games before next week's Atlantic 10 Championship, hosted by the Rams at Bahoshy Field, starts next Wednesday. Fordham has already clinched the #2 seed and a first-round bye.
 
Saturday's doubleheader will begin at noon and Sunday's series finale will begin at 1 p.m. The Senior Day ceremony, honoring Madi Shaw, will occur between contests on Saturday.
 
The games will be streamed live on the A-10 Digital Network and on WFUV. Fans can follow along with all the action via the links above.
 
Last Time Out
Fordham suffered its fourth straight loss in a 14-11 slugfest at St. John's on Wednesday. The Red Storm jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning but the Rams fought back with six runs in the top of the second. Brianna Pinto started it off with a RBI single, Madi Shaw followed with a two-run single to right, and Skylar Johnston and Chelsea Skrepenak went back-to-back with home runs. The lead didn't last long, however, as the hosts went ahead for good with a two-run home run in the third frame and tacked on three more, with two more home runs, in the fourth. Paige Rauch and Johnston went back-to-back with home runs in the sixth to get within one, 10-9, but the Red Storm answered immediately by plating four in the bottom half of the frame. Fordham was able to load the bases with nobody out in the seventh down five but could score just two via a Johnston walk and a Skrepenak hit by pitch.
 
Series History vs. La Salle
The Rams lead the all-time series, 35-23, since 1985, the first year of the program's existence. La Salle won 12 of the first 14 contests in the rivalry when the two schools were in the MAAC together although the locations were unknown. Since, the Rams hold an 18-5 record in the Bronx and a 15-3 record in Philadelphia. The Rams have won 17 straight games dating back to the 2009 season, including last year's sweep on the road. Fordham won the first contest, 5-2, before enacting the run rule with two five-inning victories and a combined 23-1 score. In that series, Shaw led an offensive explosion by going 4-for-10 with a pair of home runs and seven runs batted in, plus four runs scored, while Johnston led the squad with a .636 on-base percentage by going 3-for-7 with four walks. Skrepenak and Madie Aughinbaugh combined for nine RBIs, as well, while the latter twirled a one-hit shutout with seven strikeouts.
 
Senior Day
This Saturday's doubleheader will also include this year's Senior Day ceremony between games. The Rams have just one senior on this year's roster – Madi Shaw, who will go down as one of the best hitters in program history. Shaw is within the top-three of all three of the slash line categories (average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage) and is now up to fourth with both 39 home runs and 155 RBIs. She also set the single-season record for RBIs one year ago with 74. Madi is a two-time First Team All-Conference selection and a two-time NFCA All-Region honoree, Second Team in 2016 and First Team last year, when she was also named an ECAC First Team All-Star. She also finished runner-up in last year's A-10 Player of the Year voting.
 
Rauch Named Top 25 Finalist for Schutt Sports/NFCA National Freshman of the Year
Paige Rauch has been a steady force at the top of the Fordham lineup and in the circle, earning four A-10 Rookie of the Week honors (three coming in consecutive weeks recently) and now being named one of the 25 best freshmen in the country. Rauch has slashed .315/.462/.713 with a team-leading 14 home runs, 39 RBIs, 37 walks, and 47 runs scored, and is 13-2 with a 1.62 ERA over 21 appearances and 13 starts. Read more about Rauch's latest accolade, HERE.
 
Rauch Nabs Third Straight A-10 Rookie of the Week, Shaw Earns Co-Player
For the third week in a row, Rauch was named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week. Senior Madi Shaw also got her first of hardware last Monday when she was named Co-Player of the Week along with Saint Joseph's Caela Abadie. Read more about their weeks, HERE.
 
NCAA Ranks
As a team, the Rams rank within the top-100 in five categories: Fordham averages 1.13 dingers per contest (14^th), 5.44 runs per game (41^st), 0.19 triples per contest (92^nd), has a .453 slugging percentage (53^rd), a 2.19 K/BB ratio (71^st), and a 3.01 team ERA (97^th). At the individual level, a few Rams are within the top-100. Rauch ranks 17^th with 0.77 walks per game, 26^th in the nation with 0.98 runs per game, 21^st with five triples, 31^st with 14 home runs, 68^th with a .713 slugging percentage, and 66^th with 102 total bases. Her 1.62 ERA also sits 48^th nationally and second in the A-10. Johnston is tied with her for home runs and above her, at 52^nd, with 105 total bases. Shaw's 13 home runs rank 39^th and the senior ranks 99^th with 0.88 RBIs per game. In the circle, Aughinbaugh's 5.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio ranks 26^th in the country, while her 0.96 walks allowed per seven innings ranks 11^th.
 
Atlantic 10 Ranks
The Rams leads the Atlantic 10 with 54 home runs (16 more than George Washington and Saint Louis), are second with 240 RBIs, third with 261 runs, and fourth with 349 hits. Fordham also tops the league with both 178 walks and 314 strikeouts. In the circle, the Rams' 3.01 team ERA ranks second over the fourth-most innings (313.2). The Rams' .942 fielding percentage, though, ranks ninth.
 
The Rams have three in the top-20 for on-base percentage. Rauch is third at .462 and is joined by Shaw (.448) at fifth and Skrepenak at 19^th (.401). The quartet of Rauch (4^th – .713), Johnston (5^th - .660), Shaw (6^th - .650), and Skrepenak (10^th - .563) sit within the top-10 for slugging percentage together. Only George Washington has more than one player in the top-10. Rauch is up to 37 walks on the year to lead the league, which is also ranked seventh-most in a single season at Fordham. Lauren Quense's 19 free passes are also tied for 10^th. The freshman's five triples are also tied for first and her 47 runs are second-most. Brianna Pinto's 10 stolen bases are tied for eighth in the league. In the circle, Rauch has fallen out of the top spot and is back behind reigning former Pitcher of the Year Manda Cash. Rauch holds a 1.62 ERA. Aughinbaugh, with a 2.99 ERA, sits ninth. Rauch and Aughinbaugh are third and joint-fourth, respectively, with 13 and 12 wins.
 
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 top-three of the triple slash line categories and is now up to fourth with both 39 home runs and 155 RBIs and seventh with 84 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. She's also become just the third Ram to make 100 starts. Aughinbaugh has enjoyed a tremendous two seasons in maroon and white and recently joined the top-10 for wins, now solo eighth with 30 career victories, just tied Quense for career shutouts, with nine, for sixth all-time, and just entered the all-time top-10 for strikeouts, with 178. The sophomore, among pitchers with 200 or more innings, is also joint-seventh all-time with a 2.48 ERA. A year ago, Aughinbaugh got into the top-10 for single-season wins, with 18, and this season is one of five players in school history with at least six shutouts in a season. With their 14^th home runs of the season on Wednesday, Rauch and Johnston have also joined Katie Davis (2005) for sixth-most in a single campaign in school history. Rauch will also likely finish somewhere in the top-10 for on-base and slugging percentages, as well. Check out the softball record book HERE.
 
Slugging Trio
This is the fourth time a Rams team has featured three players with double-digit home runs and is the first time that three players have at least 13 round-trippers on the year. Rauch and Johnston lead the way with 14 with Shaw right behind at 13 for a combined 41 on the season. Those are more than in 2006, when Allison Twarowski, Laura Klaiber, and Lisa Busciacco had 10 each, and in 2010, when Erin Fisher, Beckah Wiggins, and Jocelyn Dearborn combined for 40. The record is 43, set in 2014, by Elise Fortier (20), Gabby Luety (13), and Kayla Lombardo (10).
 
Rams 96^th in RPI
With a tough preseason slate and much turnover between seasons, the Rams landed at 164 in the initial RPI with a 9-15 record. The team went 18-2 to rise up to 87^th overall but with this past weekend's sweep, Fordham has fallen back to 96^th. 
 
Tickets on Sale for A-10 Championship
Tickets are now on sale for the 2018 Atlantic 10 Softball Championship, to be held at Bahoshy Field from May 9-12. Prices are $24 for adults and $12 for children under 17 and seniors over 65 for ALL sessions. Read more about it, 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 614-375 record in the Bronx.
 
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 have already clinched the #2 seed and a first-round bye. They will play Thursday, May 10, at 2:30 p.m. against the #3 or #6 seed.
 
Continue to keep up to date with the program on social media: @FordhamSoftball on Twitter and Instagram, and here at FordhamSports.com!