Amherst, Mass. – The Fordham softball team is rolling. The Rams capped off a four-game series sweep at longtime rival Massachusetts on Saturday with a pair of five-inning run-rule victories by a combined 26-2 score, extending a win streak that has no reached 12 straight. Fordham improves to 15-3 overall and begin Atlantic 10 play with a 4-0 record.
"Offensively we did a great job jumping on them early. We know how scrappy UMass is." Head coach
Melissa Inouye said, "An early lead allowed AP to pitch aggressively and she did a good job mixing all her pitches. The defense made some big plays behind her and our hitters stayed with their plans. Augie continues to do a great job being efficient and effective with her repertoire of pitches. It was really fun to watch our hitters use all of the field and to hit for power up and down the lineup. Overall, great first conference weekend by our entire team as everyone played a role in some way."
Fordham trailed just once on the day, falling behind 1-0 in the second inning of game two but just a half inning later the visitors had taken the lead and ran with it. Following the stellar pitching performances of
Madie Aughinbaugh and
Devon Miller on Friday, it was senior Anna Marie Prentiss' turn in game one, falling just one out shy of a no-hitter but still enjoying her first career shutout. The San Diego native allowed two walks in the fourth inning and three straight singles in the fifth before a diving
Brianna Pinto catch helped her and the Rams cement the shutout.
The Rams wasted no time in game one, plating four, on a two-run
Rachel Hubertus single and a two-run home run by freshman
Bella Ayala, the first of her career. Ayala struck again in the third, as well, going the opposite way for a solo effort. Fordham added the final four runs in the top-half of the fourth. Aughinbaugh walked and stole second and scored later on a passed ball. Ayala drove in her fourth and fifth teammates of the contest with a single through the left side, and Pinto drove in two more on a single to right.
Aughinbaugh picked her eighth straight win to start her graduate campaign, allowing one run on three hits and a walk with three strikeouts over four innings. It was her 125th career appearance, putting her in a tie with former teammate
Lauren Quense for third all-time, and was the 98th start of her career. She also moved up to seventh all-time in career ERA, now down to 2.53. The Minutewomen struck first in the second with a sacrifice fly by Videtto, the first of her two RBIs in the game, but the Rams responded immediately with a whopping seven runs in the top-half of the third.
Sarah Taffet ripped a three-run bomb with no one out to kick things off and back-to-back doubles by
Julia Martine and Hubertus led to run four. Freshmen Ayala and
Bailey Enoch each singled, the latter driving in Hubertus, and
Michaela Carter then doubled the pair in.
The Rams kept up their momentum with five more runs in the fourth on six hits and four more in the fifth on Enoch's first career home run, a two-run shot, scoring
Katelyn Vara, and a booming two-run Taffet double, scoring Pinto and
Amanda Carey.
Fordham combined for 26 runs on 26 hits and 25 RBIs with 14 walks and just two strikeouts. Ayala and Taffet led the way, the former driving in seven teammates and going 5-for-7 at the dish with a walk and four runs scored. Taffet, meanwhile, reached base safely in eight of 10 plate appearances, going 4-for-4 in game two with five RBIs and walking three times overall. Enoch went 3-for-3 with three RBIs, three runs, and a walk in her first conference start, as well, while Aughinbaugh, Hubertus, Martine, and Pinto each had one multi-hit game on the day. Aughinbaugh also drew four total walks and score thrice.
The Rams return to the Bronx for five games this coming week – first in nonconference action against Stony Brook on Wednesday, March 31, at 3 p.m. then doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday against La Salle, beginning at 10 a.m. and noon, respectively.
