Olean, N.Y. – The Fordham softball team swept its Wednesday doubleheader at St. Bonaventure, erupting for an 11-1 five-inning win in game one and rallying late for a 6-3 win in game two. With the pair of victories, the Rams improve to 15-20 overall and 8-3 in Atlantic 10 action, while the Bonnies fall to 5-23 and 2-8, respectively.
"It was nice to get a big lead early in game one and see the team swing with a lot of confidence and power, especially Jordy, Rachel, and Molly," Head coach
Melissa Inouye said, "Aughie and Molly continue to work well with each other. The team did a good job chipping away at a deficit in game two. Rachel had a big two-out RBI and Kylie stepped up with a huge two-run home run to give us a bigger lead. Mak did an awesome job coming in to throw five shutout innings."
The Fordham offense combined for six home runs on the day, including three from
Jordy Storm and
Kylie Michael's first career round-tripper, while
Madie Aughinbaugh started both contests and picked up one win, the other going to freshman
Makenzie McGrath.
Molly Roark's first-inning two-run double was all Aughinbaugh and the Rams would need in game one. The offense plated 11 runs on eight hits and an error, including four home runs, two by Storm for her second career multi-homer game. Infield singles by
Kylie Michael and
Sarah Taffet led to the third and fourth runs in the first inning. St. Bonaventure's lone run in the game came in the bottom half of the frame on a two-out single through the left side after a leadoff triple.
Roark came through with a two-out, two-run bomb in the second, scoring
Rachel Hubertus, before the Bonnies kept the offense off the board in the third. That drought didn't last long as the Rams plated four in the fourth. Storm and Hubertus went back-to-back with one out before a
Maria Trivelpiece RBI single and an error in the field to score her from second capped the frame's scoring. Storm's second home run of the game came with one out in the fifth, both going out to dead center.
Aughinbaugh went the distance yet again, allowing just one run on two hits and two walks, with five strikeouts, to pick up her ninth win of the season and sixth in league play.
St. Bonaventure took its first and only lead of the afternoon with a three-run second inning in game two. Aughinbaugh made the start and picked up her first two outs of the frame via swinging strikeouts after a leadoff single, but the junior allowed two singles and a triple after that to give the hosts a three-run cushion. Storm got one run back with a solo home run in the top of the third before the offense loaded the bases via a single and two walks. Michael drove in the team's second run by drawing a walk, as well.
A throwing error led to a tie game with two outs in the fourth as Storm came around to score from first base on an errant throw from third to first. Fordham took the lead for good in the sixth on a two-out Hubertus single to center, scoring
Deanna Burbridge. Michael added two insurance runs with her first career home run in the seventh, driving in Trivelpiece, who had reached on a bunt single.
McGrath picked up her fourth win of the year by firing five shutout innings with just three hits and a walk allowed, plus three punchouts. The five innings matched the freshman's season-high.
Storm paced the offense with a 5-for-8 day at the plate with three home runs, five runs scored, and three RBIs. Roark picked up four hits, all in the first game, with four runs driven in, while Hubertus, Michael, and Trivelpiece each added three hits. Hubertus also walked three times, Trivelpiece twice, and Michael once.
The Rams return to action this weekend for a three-game series in the Bronx against Saint Louis. Both Saturday's doubleheader and Sunday's series finale will begin at noon.
