Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham softball team continues to roll, sweeping Saturday's doubleheader against Massachusetts by a combined score of 15-3. With the wins, their eighth and ninth straight, the Rams improved to 34-5 overall and 15-0 in Atlantic 10 play, while the Minutewomen fell to 13-14 and 9-9, respectively.
Rachel Hubertus kicked the day off with a bang, smashing a no-doubt three-run home run to dead center in the first inning, and
Madie Aughinbaugh walked off in game one with a two-run moonshot into the tennis courts beyond left, enacting the run rule, 10-1, in the fifth inning. The Minutewomen struck first in game two but the lead was short-lived with the hosts responding immediately in the bottom half of the frame and
Anne Marie Prentiss navigating a 5-2 victory, her sixth of the year.
The Rams drew five walks in the opening inning of game one alone but the lone runs came through Hubertus' bat. UMass struck for one unearned run on a Hannah Bunker two-out RBI single but Miller, who had struck out the side to start the game, escaped further damage with her fifth punchout of the day. In the second inning, the Rams loaded the bases through a walk, hit by pitch, and walk, and, with two outs, scored three runs on a walk by
Sarah Taffet and a bases-clearing double by Miller. Hubertus added a fourth RBI in the third on a sac fly and, after a scoreless fourth frame, Pinto singled and Aughinbaugh hit her game-ending home run, the fourth of her season.
Fordham chipped away in the middle innings of game two while Prentiss limited the Minutewomen to just two runs, one earned. UMass struck first in the top of the third when Juliana Shields, who led off with a double, scored from second on an error. The Rams wasted no time in answering, using their speed to take the lead for good.
Brianna Pinto singled to third and moved over two bases on an errant through by Alyssa Lyon. Aughinbaugh drove her in with a sac fly then
Julia Martine dropped a hit down the right field line, notching her first triple of the year, and scored on
Bailey Enoch's groundout. Prentiss led off the fourth with a single to right and Taffet beat out the throw on a bunt to put two runners immediately on.
Gianna Ranieri sacrificed the pair over and
Michaela Carter drove Prentiss in with a single to center. After Carter stole second uncontested, Aughinbaugh drove her and Taffet in with a single to right with two outs. Jessie DiPasquale held the Rams off the board thereafter but Prentiss allowed just one run in the seventh on back-to-back singles with one out.
Aughinbaugh led the way at the plate going 3-for-5 with five RBIs and three runs scored, also walking once. Six Rams enjoyed at two hits total on the day and six also drew at least one walk, as well.
Fordham will go for the series and regular season sweep in Sunday's finale. First pitch is set for 12 p.m. on ESPN+.
