Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham softball team played its first doubleheader of the 2021 campaign on Sunday, splitting the results with UMass-Lowell, taking the first game, 2-1, before succumbing to a 7-3 loss. With the results, the Rams move to 2-2 on the year.
"A good first game with a solid pitching outing from Augie and we made three big defensive plays to get us out of inning. Good job by Mak coming in to close things out against the top of the order." Head coach
Melissa Inouye said, "In game two, we have to do a better job of finishing innings with two outs and avoiding the big inning. We need to make better overall adjustments at the plate. Good relief appearance from Devon, too, holding their bats at bay. Overall, a decent first weekend out in tough playing conditions. We saw some really good things from the team and we look forward to getting back at practice and improving from the weekend."
Madie Aughinbaugh picked up her first win of the year with six innings, one unearned run, and four strikeouts while going 2-for-3 at the plate with a double and a triple. She worked around six hits with some help from her defense. The first play behind her came in the second when Cayla Tulley was thrown out at third on Becca Vaillancourt's two-out double to end the inning. The second and third came in the sixth inning. Aughinbaugh was able to induce a double play after the first batter reached via an error and after Vaillancourt had doubled again,
Brianna Pinto threw the pinch runner, Lea White, out at home after Tori Mueller's single. McGrath came on in relief to work around one hit and earn her first career save.
Anne Marie Prentiss, who hit her first career home run yesterday at Seton Hall, smashed her second career round-tripper off the scoreboard in left center to open the scoring in the third. The following inning,
Julia Martine's RBI single to score
Bailey Enoch proved to be the difference in the game.
One six-run inning doomed the Rams in game two as the River Hawks combined for six hits, five singles and a home run, plus two walks, to run away with the contest. To that point, Fordham had overtaken an early 1-0 deficit to lead 2-1 in the bottom of the second.
Rachel Hubertus launched a moonshot solo home run to center to begin the frame and a throwing error with two outs allowed Martine to score after the junior had walked and stolen second. The Rams tacked on one run in the seventh on a two-out triple by
Sarah Taffet, scoring Aughinbaugh.
Enoch was saddled with the loss in her home debut, allowing seven runs over 2.2 innings with a pair of strikeouts before giving way to
Devon Miller, who was terrific in relief, striking out seven River Hawks and allowing just two hits and a walk over 4.1 frames.
After opening weekend, Aughinbaugh paces the offense with team-highs of a .545 average, six hits, four runs, and three stolen bases. The graduate student is also 1-0 with a 2.10 ERA over 10.0 innings. In three appearances, one start, Miller leads the staff with 12 punchouts over 8.1 innings. Prentiss leads with two dingers, while Taffet and Hubertus each have four RBIs.
The Rams are back at home on Wednesday to host St. John's at 3 p.m.
