Piscataway, N.J. – The Fordham softball team fell, 10-2, in five innings in nonconference action on Wednesday afternoon at Rutgers. With the loss, the Rams fall to 9-18 overall, while the Scarlet Knights improve to 16-14.
Fordham took an early first-inning lead but the hosts took the lead back for good in the bottom of the frame and plated between one and three runs in each inning before triggering the run rule. The defense committed four errors in the final three frames, leading to five unearned runs.
Chelsea Skrepenak got things started quickly with a lead-off double down the left field line and scored on a passed ball from third to put the visitors up briefly. Rutgers responded, though, with a two-out, two-run home run by Anyssa Iliopoulos. The Rams threatened briefly in the second when
Julia Martine smoked a double to the left centerfield gap with two outs but the freshman was left stranded.
Molly Roark erased a lead-off hit by pitch in the second by gunning Nicole Bowman out at the second trying to steal. Former Ram Jess Hughes plated the go-ahead runs later in the frame with a two-out, two-run double to right.
Makenzie McGrath was brought on in relief of
Gianna Ranieri, making her fourth start, to get the final out.
The visitors put their first two runners on in the third but failed to bring them around. Rutgers added a fifth run on a sacrifice fly and three more in the fourth on a pair of RBI singles and an error.
Deanna Burbridge led off the fifth with a double and came around to score Fordham's second run on an Aughinbaugh RBI single with two outs. The Scarlet Knights closed out the game with another two-out hit as Hughes drove in two with a single to center.
Seven Rams reached base once either with a hit or walk and five were left stranded. Ranieri took her fourth loss with four runs allowed during her 1.2 frames. McGrath allowed six runs, just one earned, during her three innings.
Fordham is back in action this weekend with another three-game road series. The Rams will be at George Mason with both Saturday's doubleheader and Sunday's series finale beginning at noon.
