Bronx, N.Y. –
Devon Miller was nearly perfect yet again but had to settle for her third no-hitter of the season on Sunday at Bahoshy Field, allowing just three baserunners and no hits and striking out eight in Fordham's 10-0 five-inning victory over Massachusetts in the series finale. With the win, the team's 10
th straight, the Rams improved to 35-5 overall and 16-0 in Atlantic 10 play.
Miller matched Jen Mineau ('12) with three no-hitters in a single season but becomes the first Ram to throw all three against conference foes. Fordham's offense wasted no time in getting on the board and then extending that lead over the first two innings that included three three-run home runs.
Rachel Hubertus got the day started with a first-inning bomb, scoring
Julia Martine and
Bailey Enoch, and in the second frame it was Martine and
Bella Ayala's turn. With two outs and one on, the Rams racked up six consecutive hits or walks to take a 9-0 lead. Aughinbaugh singled to left, moving
Michaela Carter over to second, leading into Martine's home run. Enoch walked and Hubertus singled and Ayala then took the first pitch she saw to deep left center.
UMass finally got to Miller in the third, reaching base via two walks, with the first baserunner, Caroline Videtto, reaching third on a pair of wild pitches, but Miller induced a ground ball to escape the jam. Fordham scored its 10
th run in the third on an Aughinbaugh RBI single to right center, driving in Carter, who had led off with a triple.
Miller struck out two Minutewomen in each of the first two frames, one in the third, none in the fourth, and then struck out three in the fifth after hitting the first batter of the inning, pinch hitter Kristina Day. The Chadds Ford, Pa. native improves to 13-2 on the year, tying Aughinbaugh in the win column, while lowering her season-long ERA to 1.11 with 146 strikeouts over 88.2 innings. She also has six shutouts on the year, tied for sixth-most in a single season, and 11 complete games over 18 appearances and 14 starts.
All but one batter for the Rams had at least one hit on the day, with Aughinbaugh, Hubertus, and Ayala each tallying two apiece and Enoch singling and walking, as well. Four different Rams scored twice, two others once each.
Fordham will wrap up the regular season next weekend at Bahoshy Field with a four-game series against Saint Joseph's.
