Durham, N.C. – The Fordham softball team swept Lafayette in a doubleheader on Sunday to wrap up play at the Duke Invitational, run-ruling the Cougars in both contests. The Rams finished the weekend with a 3-2 record and improve to 7-13 overall on the season.
"We did a great job staying disciplined at the plate and we had some timely hitting. It was nice to see production throughout the linep." Head coach
Melissa Inouye said, "Aughie and Devon gave us dominant starts today and it was nice to see Mak come in and close the second game out."
In 11 innings, the Rams scored at least one run in all but one frame. Fordham downed Lafayette, 11-3, in the opener, scoring one run in the bottom of the fifth to walk off, then shut the Cougars out in six frames behind
Devon Miller and
Makenzie McGrath.
Lafayette scored first on the day with a two-out RBI single but the Rams responded immediately with two runs.
Brianna Pinto walked, stole second, and moved to third on a wild pitch then scored on a single by
Julia Martine. Martine came around to score on a groundout to put the team ahead but Lafayette scored again in the second on three straight singles. The Rams quickly retook the lead in the second with four runs.
Brielle Cerchio walked, Pinto singled, and Martine was hit by a pitch to load the bases.
Sarah Taffet drew a walk to drive in the eventual game-winning run and
Madie Aughinbaugh cleared the bases with a double to left. The Cougars plated a third run on a solo home run but the Rams answered with a RBI single by Taffet to score
Kelly Bright.
Fordham moved closer to the run rule with three runs in the fourth – an
Amanda Carey two-run jack and a Pinto RBI triple to score
Gigi Speer, who pinch ran for Cerchio after she singled. Carey provided the walk-off hit with a sacrifice fly to score Taffet in the fifth.
Aughinbaugh went the distance, limiting the Cougars to two runs, one earned, over five frames with just one walk and eight strikeouts.
It was all Fordham in game two behind a power pitching performance from Miller, who struck out a season-high 11 over five frames with just two hits allowed. McGrath came in and struck out one in a scoreless frame in relief. Miller struck out six consecutive batters to begin the game.
The go-ahead run came in the first on an Aughinbaugh groundout, scoring Pinto, who had walked to lead off. Carey knocked in Aughinbaugh with a bunt single to third for the second run and the third run came in the fourth on a Martine groundout.
Kelly Bright tripled in Cerchio and scored on a Pinto single, then Martine drove her in with a single to right to make it a six-run game in the fifth. Cerchio tallied a RBI while being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to score
Michaela Carter and Bright drew a walk to enact the run rule. McGrath allowed a single and double to start the sixth but rebounded by inducing a foul out, striking the next batter out, and closing the game out with a flyout.
The Rams finished the weekend with a .338 average. Over seven at-bats, Cerchio led the way with a .714 average, notching five hits and a walk. Bright went 8-for-12 with four walks and two stolen bases, while Aughinbaugh and Martine each batted .471. The former scored seven runs and drove in seven, while the latter knocked in a team-high 11 teammates. Pinto scored a team-high nine runs and batted .412 while stealing five bases.
In the circle, Miller recorded a 3.50 ERA over three appearances, two starts, with 20 strikeouts over 12 frames.
The Rams will return to the Carolinas next weekend for the Charleston Cougar Classic. They'll alternate with Charleston and UNC Greensboro for four games over three days, starting with the hosts on Friday at 6 p.m.
