BRONX, N.Y. – With four wins in their first four games at Bahoshy Field this season, Fordham University Softball closes its opening homestand of the year with a single game against Clemson Wednesday afternoon.
Stack 'Em Up
Fordham (11-13, 3-0 A-10) are coming off a 4-0 week that saw them outscore their opponents 33-12, downing Hofstra in the home opener last Wednesday, 9-1, before sweeping Loyola Chicago in a three game series to open league play, 5-2 and 7-4 Saturday, and 12-5 on Sunday afternoon.
After recording just 30 through the first 14 games of the season, Fordham has scored 72 runs in its last 10 games, scattering 93 hits and drawing 40 walks, hitting .332 as a team and slugging .500, with eight players hitting .310 or better over that span.
Last week alone saw 33 runs on 43 hits and 18 walks, bashing three home runs while hitting .398 as a team and slugging .611 with a .480 on-base percentage.
Neleh Nogay stole five bases in six attempts, including tying a program record with four stolen bases in four tries in game two Saturday against Loyola Chicago, leading the team with eight hits on the week. Erin Hoppe led the way with seven runs scored, while Nicki Sudall drove in six RBIs, including a grand slam in game two as well.
Leading the Lineup
On the season Nogay leads the Rams with 33 hits, batting .375, driving in 11 RBIs and scoring 19 runs, while going 19-for-21 on stolen base attempts thus far, just three away from her career best from last season when she went 22-for-24. Eva Koratsis is hitting .338 with 24 hits, driving in 15 RBis with 10 runs scored, second on the team in runs batted in, ahead of Sydney Wells who's brought in 16 RBIs while scattering 19 hits and drawing a team high 16 walks.
Center Circle
Emilee Watkins holds a 4-3 record on the season, starting five of the last ten games for Fordham, posting three wins in 30.2 innings pitched, allowing 15 earned runs while striking out 16 batters over that span.
Holly Beeman holds a 5-2 record on the year with a 1.92 ERA, tossing seven complete games in eight appearances, and has claimed a pair of A-10 Pitcher of the Week awards in the second and third week of the year.
At Home Against the ACC
The Rams have previously hosted a pair of games against an ACC school in, with Wednesday being the first home game against an Atlantic Coast Conference team in 10 years, since the Maroon and White split a doubleheader with in-state foe Syracuse back on Apr. 1, 2015.
New and Improved
The 2025 season will see a fresh look throughout the Bahoshy Softball Complex, with new turf installed in the outfield and surrounding the perimeter of the field, replacing the old dirt warning track and foul areas, providing faster drainage during inclement weather and allowing the Rams to return to the field much faster than before.
New Maroon padding will surround the outfield wall, including the high-fence in left field, with the batters facing directly towards the New York City skyline imprinted in each of the gaps.
"Fordham Softball" is featured prominently in all caps in straightaway center, with the left and right field walls showcasing the Rams past Atlantic 10 and NCAA tournament bids over the team's 41 year history, and a spot for future All-Americans to leave their name and legacy.
Both the Rams' batting cages and home and visiting bullpens also feature new turf throughout, with the visiting bullpen being moved much closer to the visiting dugout on the first base side.
Weekend Recap
Rallying for four runs in the second inning of game one Saturday, the Rams took a 4-0 lead, which they held for much of the way, ahead of a pair of runs by Loyola Chicago in the fifth and sixth to cut into the deficit. The Rams added a run back in the bottom of the frame, as Holly Beeman tossed her seventh complete game of the season to earn the win, as Fordham took the opener 5-2.
After the Ramblers notched a single run in their first turn at-bat in game two, Fordham answered with a first pitch no doubt grand slam by Nicki Sudall over the scoreboard in left center to put Fordham in front 4-1. The Rams never looked back, as they tallied three more in the fourth on a two-run double by Sydney Wells and RBI single from Sudall. Loyola Chicago added three runs back in the fifth, but Emilee Watkins nabbed her second victory of the week to take the series win in game two, 7-4.
Trading a pair of runs in the opening frame Sunday, the second and seventh innings would be the only two without a run scored in a back-and-forth contest throughout. Loyola Chicago took a 2-1 lead in the third inning, but Fordham capitalized for three runs in the fourth to take their first lead of the day.
Loyola responded in the top half of the fifth with three runs of their own, but Fordham stayed hot, as four more Rams came around to score to put the Maroon and White back ahead 8-5 through five innings, before they rattled off four more in the sixth to but the game out of reach heading to the seventh.
Series History
The Rams and Tigers battled for the first time ever last season, as the Rams played five games in South Carolina falling 12-0 on Mar. 10, 2024.
Non-Conference Offerings
Facing six opponents that reached an NCAA Regional last season, the 2025 calendar sees Fordham play 51 games against teams from 14 different conferences including the A-10, with 19 tournament games against 10 different opponents on the non-conference side of the schedule.
Fordham will also play five additional midweek non-league games throughout March and April, mixed into a nine-team, 26-game Atlantic 10 slate. Wednesday marks the first of those against Hofstra, ahead of games against Clemson (Mar. 19), at St. John's (Mar. 26), Stony Brook (Apr. 2), and LIU (Apr. 16).
Scouting Clemson
The Tigers enter the midweek 20-9 on the year (3-3 ACC) and receiving votes in the national polls, taking two out of three games last weekend against North Carolina. Clemson heads to Syracuse for a three-game set in Upstate New York this weekend following the midweek battle with the Rams. Maddie Moore leads the team hitting .373 with 37 hits and 26 RBis, while four Tigers post an OPS over 1.000 with at least 24 games played, led by Moore at 1.398.
What's Next?
The Maroon and White hit the road for the second weekend of Atlantic 10 play, heading to Saint Louis for a three-game set this Saturday and Sunday with both days starting at 1:00 p.m. EST.
