Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham softball team split Saturday's conference doubleheader with Saint Joseph's, falling 1-0 in game one but rallying to finish strong with an 8-0 walk-off run-rule victory in the sixth in game two. With the results, the Rams move to 19-17 overall and 8-6 in Atlantic 10 play, while the Hawks move to 16-18 and 11-6, respectively.
Game two of the three-game series with a pitchers' duel between
Makenzie McGrath and Amanda Herr. Both pitchers alternated quick frames with ones in which they had to battle and escape jams. Ultimately, the game was decided on Sarah Cancila's two-out fifth-inning RBI double to score Kayla Tauber. McGrath allowed seven hits and three walks but limited the damage to just the lone run while striking out four, suffering the tough-luck loss, her fourth. Herr struck out nine Rams while allowing just seven baserunners.
Bailey Enoch,
Allie Clark, and
Sydney Wells tallied the team's three hits, while
Julia Martine walked twice and
Rachel Hubertus and
Sarah Taffet once each. Wells' hit was a double and she was also hit by a pitch.
The series finale got off to a roaring start for the hosts as the Rams got revenge on Friday starter Emily Siler with four runs in the opening frame, all with two outs.
Brianna Pinto set the tone with a bunt single and stole second, moving to third on
Michaela Carter's sac bunt. Hubertus popped up to short but the Rams rallied with
Julia Martine singling in Pinto and stealing second, Enoch walking, and
Devon Miller reaching on an infield single to load the bases. Clark came through with a bloop RBI single in front of second base and
Amanda Carey ripped a single to center to score two more.
Carey continued her busy game with yet another two-out run-scoring knock, this time a booming double into the left centerfield gap to score Enoch in the third. Carey padded the lead once again in the fifth with a sacrifice fly to score
Gigi Speer, pinch-running for Enoch, who had singled to start the frame against Herr who came on in relief of Siler. The RBI was the fourth of the game for the junior backstop, a new career-high. The sixth inning was short-lived with Carter singling through the left side and Hubertus taking a 0-1 offering and depositing it over the centerfield wall to end the game early, her 14
th long ball of the year, tied for eighth-most in a single campaign and making her solo fifth all-time now with 36 career home runs.
Every single starter minus Taffet picked up at least one hit, with Carey and Pinto notching a pair each. Enoch and Miller also reached safely twice. Enoch starred in the circle once again, matching her career-high of eight strikeouts that she had set against Iona in late March, doing so in just six innings compared to seven then to earn her first career shutout. The sophomore allowed just four hits and one walk while picking up her fifth win of the year.
Fordham will now head out on the road for an extended period, first traveling to Army for a midweek nonconference doubleheader on Wednesday, April 20, at 2 p.m. before heading down to George Mason next weekend for a three-game series.
