Fairfax, Va. – The Fordham softball team swept its Saturday doubleheader against Atlantic 10 foe George Mason, securing its second straight series victory to begin league play this year. The Rams won, 3-1, in game one and, 5-4, in game two. With the results, Fordham improves to 11-18 overall and 4-1 in conference action, while the Patriots fall to 11-17 and 1-4, respectively.
"Two good team wins today as the defense played with a lot of passion and made some big plays," Head coach
Melissa Inouye said, "We left too many runners on base but Molly came up with the big home run. Credit goes to the hitters before her for getting on base to give her that opportunity. Mak did a great job in relief in game two, bouncing back for a solid sixth and seventh to close things out."
Junior captain
Madie Aughinbaugh did the heavy lifting in game one, going the distance for a 10
th time and 37
th time in her career with just one run allowed on eight hits and zero walks with five strikeouts to earn her 40
th career victory, moving her into a tie for seventh all-time with
Chelsea Plimpton ('11). Her complete game also moved her into a tie with former teammate
Lauren Quense ('18) for fifth-most in school history. Aughinbaugh also provided the game-winning hit in the third inning with an RBI single to left to score
Chelsea Skrepenak.
Maria Trivelpiece got the scoring started with a first-inning sacrifice fly before George Mason tied the game up with an RBI single in the second.
Molly Roark added an insurance run with her own RBI single in the sixth to score Trivelpiece.
Aughinbaugh went 3-for-4 at the dish in game one, while
Jordy Storm notched a pair of singles and a hit by pitch to reach three times, as well.
Rachel Hubertus also walked twice.
Game two featured Trivelpiece's collegiate pitching debut. The senior captain fired two hitless innings with one run allowed on five walks and a wild pitch. Freshman
Makenzie McGrath came on in relief and tossed a season-high five innings and held on for her third win of the year with three runs allowed on five hits, a walk, and three punchouts.
The Fordham offense was quiet until a five-run fifth inning; Trivelpiece singled up the middle with the bases loaded to drive in Aughinbaugh and Storm then Roark powered her ninth home run of the year to left, her own proving to be the difference in the game. The hosts fired back with three runs in the bottom of the frame on an RBI single, RBI double, and a groundout, but McGrath escaped the jam and allowed just one baserunner via a walk to close out the game.
Aughinbaugh, Storm, and Trivelpiece all tallied two hits apiece in the contest with Hubertus also reaching twice via a single and a walk. Aughinbaugh finished the day 5-for-8 at the plate, while Storm went 4-for-7.
The Rams and Patriots wrap up the series tomorrow at noon on ESPN+.
