CHARLESTON, S.C. – Kicking off the 2025 season with a pair of games Friday, Fordham University Softball split Opening Day action in South Carolina with a 5-2 win over the College of Charleston.
Despite tallying just one hit through their first 11 innings of action at the Charleston Invitational, the Rams still managed seven baserunners to that point, drawing a pair of walks in game one loss to No. 18/16 Virginia Tech, 12-0 (Six inn.), along with two more against Charleston while also forcing a pair of errors by the Cougars in game two.
The bats came alive in the fourth inning against the host Cougars, as the Rams tacked on three runs on back-to-back scoring plays to take the lead. Adding two more in the sixth, the home side would do the same, despite Holly Beeman tossing a complete game in the circle to lead the Maroon and White to their first win of the campaign.
Beeman fanned five batters while giving up just two runs on five hits, without allowing a walk, throwing five shutout innings before giving up just two runs late in the day. Neleh Nogay posted a pair of hits across the two games along with a stolen base and an RBI, while Mallory McClellan also added two hits, along with two RBI's and a pair of runs scored, all in game two.
Game One: No. 18/16 Virginia Tech 12, Fordham 0 (Six Inn.)
Following a shutout first inning for both sides to start the day, Virginia Tech rallied for six runs in the second to take an early lead. The Hokies added one more run in the third before being shutout by Olivia Simcoe, who stole the show in game one, coming on in relief and tossing 4.0 scoreless innings giving up just two hits while striking out four, before being pulled in the sixth stranding a pair of runners on.
Scattering five runs in that sixth inning to pull past the eight-run rule, Neleh Nogay tallied the lone hit for the Maroon and White in the sixth before it was all said and done with Mikayla Swan and Sophie Nesturrick drawing the two walks in the opener.
Game Two: Fordham 5, Charleston 2
Scoreless through three innings in game two, the Rams were still without a hit entering the fourth, despite already putting three runners on base via an error and a pair of walks early on. After Nicki Sudall was hit by a pitch to start the frame, Eva Koratsis reached on an error, before Mallory McClellan drove them both home on a two-run triple a couple of batters later.
Coming around to score immediately after on a Mikayla Swan single, the Rams took a 3-0 lead heading to the fifth. Continuing to shutdown the Cougars hitters one at a time, Beeman gave up just two hits through five innings of work, before the Rams added to more insurance runs in her favor in the sixth.
With two outs, McClellan singled ahead of Swan reaching on an error, with Nogay bringing McClellan home on a single before Swan came in to score on a wild pitch. Charleston added a pair of runs back in the bottom of the frame, before both sides were held off the board in the final frame.
Next Up
The Maroon and White return to action tomorrow for day two of the Charleston Invitational, taking on North Dakota State at 10:00 a.m. before battling Charleston once again at 3:00 p.m.
