Bronx, N.Y. – Behind a three-run first inning and an 11-strikeout performance from freshman
Paige Rauch, the Fordham softball team rounded out its 2018 regular season with a 5-2 win over La Salle, capping a series sweep and tying the program record of 18 Atlantic 10 victories, set each of the past two seasons. With the win, the Rams improve to 30-21 overall and 18-4 in conference play, while the Explorers fall to 12-34 and 3-19, respectively. Fordham clinched the #2 seed and a first-round bye in this week's A-10 Championship and will play the winner of Dayton and George Washington on Thursday, May 10 at 2:30 p.m.
Rauch saved her best for the end of the regular season, finishing with a season-high for both herself and the rotation with her 11 punchouts, the first double-digit performance since
Madie Aughinbaugh notched 11 over eight-plus innings on February 17, 2017, and the first such instance over seven frames since Rachel Gillen did it three times in 2016. The Windsor, N.Y. native allowed just two runs, one earned, on four hits and a walk for her 10
th complete game of the year, improving to 14-2 overall with a 1.58 ERA.
The Explorers struck first with two outs in the opening frame as Marissa Ewald doubled down the left field line to score Emma Schweigert, who led the game off with a walk. Rauch got out of the mini-jam with a swinging strikeout of Ashley Mendenhall, her second of the inning. Fordham responded in the bottom half immediately. The Rams loaded the bases with one out and
Deanna Burbridge singled in two with a single to center.
Lauren Quense came around to score on a wild pitch a batter later.
Rauch tossed three perfect frames, with two strikeouts in each inning, before allowing a two-out single in the fifth to Taylor Rohrbaugh. After a perfect sixth, the Explorers got to the freshman for one more run in the seventh. Ewald doubled again to lead off and, with two outs, Jackie Heim doubled her in. Heim was called for interference, however, on the next play for blocking
Rachel Hubertus' path to a ground ball at short.
The Rams tacked on two insurance runs in the sixth. A
Maria Trivelpiece single led to a throwing error, allowing Burbridge to scamper home, and scored herself on
Brianna Pinto infield single.
Pinto and Trivelpiece led the way with the offense's lone multi-hit performances, each singling twice in three at bats. Quense also reached base twice via a single and walk. The offense nearly matched the program single-game record for steals, falling one short. Among the seven thefts on the day were two for Pinto and
Chelsea Skrepenak and one each for Burbridge, Quense, and Trivelpiece.
The Rams now await the winner of Wednesday's #3/#6 match-up between Dayton and George Washington. They'll play Thursday at 2:30 p.m.
