AMHERST, Mass. – It was a battle of the bats all afternoon Friday in the Bay State as Fordham University softball put up double digit hits in each game, but fell to UMass in a doubleheader to open the weekend series.
A high scoring affair throughout the afternoon, the Rams would tally 16 runs and bash 24 hits across the two games, with the teams combining for 36 runs and 45 hits across 19 innings. After trailing late in game one, the Rams scored eight unanswered runs, but were outlasted 13-10, before falling 7-6 in game two in walkoff fashion after sending the game to extra innings.
Sydney Wells would lead the team with six RBIs Friday off three hits and scored a pair of runs, while Gianna Sarlo rattled three hits and came around to score three times along with driving in a run. Neleh Nogay would pace the team going a combined 5-for-9 on the day, with three runs scored and three RBIs, while Nicki Sudall also tallied three RBIs with a pinch hit three run homer in game one.
UMass would take an early lead to start the day with three runs in their first plate appearance as a team, before the Rams added their first run on a Sarlo sac fly. The Minutewomen would go on to score three more in the bottom of the third and would extend an 8-1 lead through four.
In the fifth the Fordham bats would start to come alive with three runs off three hits, before following up with six runs on six hits in the sixth to score nine unanswered runs and push their first lead of the game at 10-8. UMass would counter quickly however, rallying for five runs in the bottom of the inning to set the final line.
Game two would see the home side knock in a single run in each of the first three frames, and tacked on a pair in the fourth to take a 5-0 lead. Answering each of those runs in a single innings, the Rams rallied for five runs in the fifth, tying the game and sending it to extra innings.
The Rams would take the lead in the top of the eighth on a big double by Mikayla Swan, but a pair of runs in the bottom half saw UMass walk it off to take the win 7-6.
Fordham and UMass close their three game series Sunday afternoon with a single game at 12:00 p.m. in Amherst, Mass.
