Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham softball team rallied several times during Saturday's doubleheader against Saint Louis and walked away with a pair of victories, both in games that didn't end in the seventh inning.
Deanna Burbridge helped the Rams walk off in the eighth inning of game one, 4-3, while the team run-ruled the Billikens in game two, 11-3, in five frames. With the wins, Fordham improves to 17-20 overall and 10-3 in Atlantic 10 play, while the Billikens fall to 10-27 and 4-8, respectively.
"I'm proud of the way the team responded in game one," Head coach
Melissa Inouye said, "Defensively we had some big-time effort plays that kept momentum on our side. Aughie is a true competitor and she got stronger as the game went on, ending the sixth and eight innings with big strikeouts. Proud again of the team for responding in the first inning with six runs to take the lead of game two. Offensively, we continue to swing at good pitched and have quality at-bats. Makenzie continues to locate her pitches and has done a great job in relief."
In game one, Fordham and Saint Louis traded leads twice each before Burbridge's big hit.
Sarah Taffet ripped a two-out single the opposite way in the second inning to score
Maria Trivelpiece, but the visitors took the lead an inning later on a Sadie Wise two-run home run.
Molly Roark responded in the bottom of the fourth with her own two-run shot to right, putting the hosts up, 3-2.
Rachel Hubertus had led off the frame with a single and her first stolen base of the year. Saint Louis threatened in the top of the fifth with the bases loaded and two outs but Aughinbaugh induced a line out to
Jordy Storm at second.
Saint Louis would rally once again, in the sixth, when Kaylyn Breitbach singled to lead off, was sacrificed over to second, and scored on Kat Lane's two-out infield single. Aughinbaugh rebounded with a swinging strikeout of leading hitter Sadie Wise to end the frame. Fordham loaded the bases in the bottom half with two outs but Burbridge lined into a double play to second with Taffet doubled up at first. After an uneventful seventh, Aughinbaugh set the Billikens down in order in the eighth, setting the stage for Burbridge's walk-off. Trivelpiece walked, moved to second on an error, was sacrificed to third, and Burbridge smacked a single to center to end the game.
Aughinbaugh yet again went the distance, allowing three unearned runs over eight frames with seven hits and two walks, punching out a season-high eight on the day.
Game two provided fireworks in a nine-run first inning and 14 overall in three frames. Saint Louis got to Fordham starter
Gigi Speer, making her first career start, with three runs on two hits, two walks, and a pair of wild pitches. McGrath came on in relief and prevented further damage with a strikeout of Lauren Lomax.
The Rams responded immediately with a six-spot against Kaylea Chappelle, batting around without recording an out.
Chelsea Skrepenak led off with a walk and scored from first on Storm's opposite-way double to the gap. Hubertus singled to left to put runners on the corners, shifting Storm over, and both runners advanced a base on a wild pitch. Roark and Aughinbaugh each drew walks to load the bases and Trivelpiece's single to shallow center scored Hubertus and knocked Chappelle out of the game as the Billikens brought in Aubrey Hacke out of the pen. Hacke's first batter,
Kylie Michael, smoked a double into the left centerfield gap to clear the bases and cap the inning's scoring, providing the go-ahead run, as well.
The Rams added five more runs to enact the run rule – Skrepenak drove in two with a one-out single to left center, scoring Taffet and Michael, and Storm drove her in with a single through the right side. In the fourth, Michael hit her second home run in four days into the left field netting and Burbridge drove in Taffet, who had doubled to right center, with a two-out single to left.
Meanwhile, McGrath allowed just one baserunner over her 4.1 frames, a single, with one strikeout, to pick up her fifth win of the year. The freshman has now allowed just five base runners over her last 9.1 innings in relief her past two appearances in conference play.
The Rams clinch a fourth straight series victory to begin league play and wrap up this weekend with tomorrow's finale, set to begin at noon, although potential weather may change things.
