CHARLESTON, S.C. – Battling through a pair of pitchers duels at the Charleston Invitational Saturday, Fordham University Softball fell to North Dakota State, 2-1, and the host Cougars, 4-1.

Despite the loss, Elizabeth Gaisior allowed just two runs in her collegiate debut, pitching the entirety of game one, giving up seven hits and recording a pair of strikeouts.

Getting the ball to start the second game Saturday afternoon, Olivia Simcoe threw the first three frames against Charleston, settling down for a scoreless third inning, giving up three runs on four hits in her second outing of the campaign. Coming on in relief in game two against Charleston, Victoria Klimaszewski tossed the final three innings, allowing one run on just two hits against 13 batters faced in her first collegiate appearance as well.

Erin Hoppe tallied a pair of hits in game one, driving a run in the fourth, while Mallory McClellan and Sydney Wells added one hit apiece. Rattling off nine hits in game two, Sophie Nesturrick tallied a pair of base knocks, to lead a group of seven other Rams with one hit each. 

Game One: North Dakota State - 2R, 7H, 0E, Fordham - 1R, 4H, 0E

A fast-paced game that lasted just 1:29, opened Saturday morning with a scoreless opening frame, as both pitchers tossed a 1-2-3 first, before the Bison took the lead with a run in the bottom of the second.

Fordham broke through in the top of the fourth, leading off the inning with a Sydney Wells double, before Annie Sullivan pinch ran for her and came around to score on a Hoppe single to tie the game. North Dakota State loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the inning, before Gaisior worked her way out of trouble to keep the game level at one.

That score held until the bottom of the seventh, with the Rams getting the first out between a pair of base hits to bring home the winning run to walk it off for the Bison.

Game Two: Charleston - 4R, 6H, 1E, Fordham - 1R, 9H, 0E

Tacking on a run in the first and two more in the second, Charleston took an early 3-0 lead, before being held scoreless in the third. Gaisior took over in the circle to open the fourth inning for the Rams, allowing a pair of hits early before downing seven of the last nine batters she faced, walking the remaining two.

Fordham added its lone run of the afternoon in the top of the sixth on a Nesturrick single to right to score Morgan Volgraf, who pinch ran for Wells after she was hit by a pitch to open the inning.

Next Up

The Maroon and White close the Charleston Invitational, with a single game against North Dakota State Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m.