BRONX, N.Y. – Hitting the road to continue a five-game road trip, Fordham University Softball heads to D.C. for a three-game series with George Washington. Due to inclement weather expected, the two sides will move to a single game at 2:00 p.m. Saturday ahead of the doubleheader on Sunday beginning at 12:00 p.m. with all games streaming on ESPN+.
Stack 'Em Up
Fordham (21-17, 12-3 A-10) saw its 10-game winning streak snapped in the backend of a midweek split at Saint Joseph's Wednesday, claiming game one 3-1, before falling in walk-off fashion 6-5 in game two.
Sitting first in the conference standings entering this weekend, Fordham's offense ranks amongst the A-10 leaders, leading the league and ranked 99th of all teams in the nation with 273 hits. The Rams also rank second in batting average (.292), home runs (22), and on-base percentage (.384), and sit third in doubles (41), slugging percentage (.410), and runs scored (179). The Rams' 48 stolen bases as a team place them third best in the A-10, 83rd best of all Division I teams.
On the defensive end the Rams have turned 11 double-plays this year, third most of any team in the league, and sit 45th in the nation with a .971 fielding percentage as a team. The Fordham pitching staff sits second in the A-10 in WHIP (1.50) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (1.75).
The Rams are amidst a stretch that will see them play eight of nine games on the road after a midweek trip to Philadelphia on Wednesday for two games. Following the trip to D.C. the Rams will play one home game next Wednesday against LIU, before hitting the road again Thursday for a trip to Dayton for a three game series next Friday-Saturday.
Leading the Lineup
On the season, Neleh Nogay leads the Rams and all players in the A-10, ranked 25th in the country with 55 hits and her 35 stolen bases are fourth best of any player in the nation, and place her just one away from tying Fordham's single season program record with 36. Nogay is batting .401 on the year, third best in the A-10, while driving in 15 RBIs and scoring 35 runs.
Sydney Wells leads the Rams with 29 RBIs and 31 walks, while sitting second in the A-10 in on-base percentage (.507), and fourth in the A-10 in slugging percentage (.556) and home runs (7) also fourth most in the conference. Wells also averages 0.84 walks per game, ranked 23rd amongst all Division I players
Nicki Sudall is second in RBIs as well, driving in 25 this season, while scoring 15 runs and scattering 33 hits, one of five Rams with 30 or more base-knocks. Sudall also sits second on the team after she cranked her sixth home run of the season last weekend, while Eva Koratsis is hitting .304 with 34 hits, driving 22 RBIs, third most on the team along with 17 runs scored.
Center Circle
Holly Beeman holds an 11-3 record, winning each of her last six starts, and has tallied the best ERA in the A-10 at 1.94, ranked 49th in the nation, while tossing the third most innings of any pitcher in the conference with 97.1 on the year. She also sits 44th in the nation in shutouts, and 40th nationally with just 1.44 walks allowed per seven innings, third best in the A-10.
Tossing 13 complete games in 15 appearances, Beeman sits 13th in the nation in complete games, and has claimed a pair of A-10 Pitcher of the Week awards thus far in the second and third week of the year, with her 11 victories good enough for second best in the A-10 and 63rd best in the country.
Emilee Watkins has tallied six wins on the season, posting 61.1 innings pitched, striking out 25 batters over that span, while Olivia Simcoe nabbed wins in the last two non-conference outings, tossing a full seven innings in each while allowing just five runs and striking out eight batters over that span.
Swerve, Bend That Corner, Woah-oh
Locking down the leadoff spot over the past two seasons, Nogay is always a threat to steal, already surpassing her career best mark from a season ago, when she stole 22 bases in 24 tries, now sitting with 35 this season on 39 attempts.
Nogay's 35 stolen bases now places her second all-time for stolen bases in a single season at Fordham, just one away from tying the program record, set by Jessica Hughes with 36 in 2016. In her third season in Maroon and White, Nogay has stolen 72 bases in her career, third all-time in Fordham history, needing just one more to tie for second on the all-time steals list, set by Krystle Henry '07 with 73.
In a doubleheader against Loyola-Chicago on Mar. 15, Nogay stole five bases in six attempts, tying a program record with four steals in four tries in game two Saturday against Loyola Chicago. Brianna Pinto '22 was the only player to do so, just a handful of years ago, stealing four bases at Stony Brook on Apr. 8, 2021. Pinto also holds the all-time stolen base record at Fordham with 85.
Split at St. Joe's
Claiming a 3-1 win in the first of two games Wednesday afternoon, Fordham split an Atlantic 10 series with Saint Joseph's, falling in walkoff fashion in game two, 6-5. Scoring three runs off the bat of Erin Hoppe in the third inning of game one, the Rams cleared the bases to take the lead, with Beeman tossing a shutout through 6.2 innings, allowing just a single run on the afternoon.
Game two saw the Rams rally for four runs in the first inning of game one, including a three-run homer from Hoppe, but saw St. Joe's push across three runs in the second to pull back within a run. Trading one run per side in the fourth and fifth, Fordham held a 5-4 lead in the seventh, before a walk-off hit drove in the tying and winning runs to split the midweek series.
Series History
The Rams have dominated the season series with George Washington, holding a 42-9 edge all-time against the Revs. Winners of the last seven contests between the two sides, Fordham has swept the season series each of the last two seasons.
Scouting George Washington
At 24-14 on the year, 9-5 in league play the Revolutionaries are tied for second in the A-10 standings with St. Joe's, snapping a three-game losing streak with a win over Towson on the road Wednesday, 5-1. Ashley Corpuz leads the George Washington offense hitting .410 with a 1.441 OPS, with 43 hits and 46 RBis along with 36 runs scored.
What's Next?
The Rams return home after this weekend for a single game in The Bronx Wednesday afternoon when LIU heads up to Bahoshy Field for an Interborough clash at 3:00 p.m.
