BRONX, N.Y. – Heading into a key series in the final weekend of the regular season, Fordham University Softball earned a game two victory 5-1 Saturday to split the first two games of a three game set at Loyola Chicago.
A back-and-forth start to the series would see Loyola Chicago take game one in extra innings 4-2, before the Rams battled back with three runs in the first inning of game two, before going on to take a 5-1 win to split Saturday's twin bill, and setup a rubber game tomorrow afternoon with the teams tied at 15-10 in the A-10 standings, deadlocked for third place.
Both Devon Miller and Holly Beeman would record complete games in the circle Saturday, with Miller recording 12 strikeouts to surpass 500 K's for her career, and becoming just the third Ram in school history to reach that mark. Beeman would also have a stellar day as she earned the game two victory while giving up just one run on three hits, and recording nine strikeouts of her own.
The Rams would tally two runs with some heads up baserunning to take a 2-0 lead in game one, before runs in back-to-back innings by the Ramblers tied the game at two apiece through five. The teams would remain square at two-all into extra innings where Loyola Chicago won via a walkoff home run in the eighth.
Fordham would take long to score in game two, as they put a pair of runners on early before Eva Koratsis drove a three-run homer to left center, giving her side a 3-0 lead after one. Loyola would add one back in the second, but a pair by the Rams in the fifth saw them break out to a four-run lead and hold on to split Saturday's doubleheader.
The Rams and Ramblers will play the rubber game of the series on the final day of the 2024 regular season tomorrow, taking on Loyola at 1:00 PM EST Sunday. With a win and the results of Dayton at Saint Louis' final two games Sunday, either Fordham or Loyola could surpass Saint Louis for the No. 2 seed which would grant a first-round bye through Wednesday's opening day of the A-10 Tournament next week.
