Highlights
Amherst, Mass. – The top-seeded Fordham softball team bounced back from its quarterfinal loss with a resounding 8-2 win over the hosts, Massachusetts, in Friday's elimination game. The win means a rematch with #5 Saint Joseph's on Saturday morning with a chance to play #3 George Washington in the final. Friday's win improves Fordham to 27-24 overall on the year.
The Rams offense rebounded with eight runs on 14 hits, while junior
Madie Aughinbaugh limited the Minutewomen to two runs, one unearned, while yet again matching her career-high with four RBIs. Fordham was immediately on the attack in the game, scoring two runs in each of the first two innings.
After Aughinbaugh set the hosts down in order to start the game,
Chelsea Skrepenak led off with a single on the first pitch she saw to set the tone.
Jordy Storm was hit by a 2-2 pitch and
Molly Roark drew a four-pitch walk. Aughinbaugh then laced a two-run single through the right side, putting her team up for good and knocking UMass starter Kiara Oliver out of the game, replaced by Quinn Breidenbach, who got three quick outs to escape the jam.
Aughinbaugh worked around a leadoff double in the second and Fordham tacked on two more runs with a two-out rally.
Deanna Burbridge reached on an infield single and moved to third on Skrepenak's single down the right field line. Skrepenak stole second and Storm drove them both in with a hard-hit single to right before Roark nearly made it five with a long flyout to the warning track. The Rams put their first two batters on base in the third but they were left stranded. UMass got one back in the top of the fourth with three straight singles to begin the inning but Aughinbaugh responded with three quick outs thereafter and the offense padded its lead with three more runs in the bottom of the frame.
Burbridge singled on the first pitch of the frame and moved to second on a groundout. Storm notched her second straight hit and third RBI by driving her in with a well-hit ball to right center. Storm was thrown out advancing to third on Roark's double to left but Aughinbaugh delivered the big hit of the day with a two-run no-doubt home run to left center. UMass scored its second run on a sac fly in the sixth but Fordham erased it solely through Skrepenak, who again hit the first pitch she saw and turned a single into a double, moving to third on a groundout, and beating out a chopper back to the pitcher to score. Aughinbaugh worked around two one-out singles to close the game out, notching two more strikeouts in the inning.
Five Rams enjoyed multi-hit performances. The top five batters in the order combined to hit 11-for-18 on the day with all eight RBIs. Burbridge went 2-for-3 with a pair of runs from the nine spot.
Aughinbaugh tallied her 15
th win of the year with two runs, one unearned, on eight hits, no walks, and six strikeouts. The home run was her fifth of the season. The junior continued her climb up the school record book, breaking a tie with Rachel Gillen ('16) and
Lauren Quense ('18) for fourth all-time with 49 wins, moving past Carol Fischer ('05) for fifth with 482.1 innings pitched, and passing
Chelsea Plimpton ('11) for fifth with 323 strikeouts in her 101
st career appearance and 76
th career start.
A win over the Hawks at 11 a.m. tomorrow means immediately playing George Washington at 1:30 p.m. Schools are not allowed to play three games in one day anymore, something the Rams did to win the 2016 A-10 Championship, so, if necessary, a do-or-die final game against the Colonials would take place on Sunday.
