WASHINGTON – Rallying for eight unanswered runs in the fourth and fifth innings, No. 3 seed Fordham University Softball defeated No. 6 Loyola Chicago, 8-1 in the opening round of the 2025 Atlantic 10 Championship Wednesday afternoon in Washington, D.C.
Highlighted by a fifth inning that saw 12 Rams come to the plate, Fordham saw the entire batting order reach base safely from 1-to-9 perfectly on the lineup card by the time the first out was recorded. Scoring six runs in that frame, the Rams claim their first postseason victory since the 2022 season, advancing to tomorrow's quarterfinal round against No. 2 Saint Louis.
Holly Beeman picked up the win in the circle, tossing the full seven innings for the Maroon and White, allowing just two hits and a single unearned run for her 13th victory of the season and first career postseason win.
Leading the way at the plate, Eva Koratsis hit 4-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI, one of seven different Rams with an RBI on the day, while Sydney Wells and Erin Hoppe did as well, along with two hits apiece.
Scoring the game's first run in the top of the second, Loyola Chicago took an early 1-0 lead, before Koratsis drove in Wells in to tie the game, ahead of a run being forced in on a walk to put Fordham in front 2-1. Their next turn at the dish saw Fordham lead off with the top of the order in Neleh Nogay, who was the first of nine straight Rams to reach base safely in the frame.
Drawing a walk, she would score on a fielder's choice, following a single by Wells to extend the Fordham lead, and the Rams loaded the bases with a single from the number four hitter in Koratsis. Wells came home to score on a passed ball advancing the runners, ahead of a Kate McGuire single to left to make it 5-1 Rams.
After a pitching change, Erin Hoppe knocked a single down the left field line from the six-slot to score Koratsis, before a Mallory McClellan single loaded the bases once again. Allie Clark was hit by a pitch to force in another run, before Victoria Klimaszewski reached on a fielder's choice that recorded the first out of the frame. The Rams plated one more run on a hit by pitch, before seeing out the final two innings on defense to advance to the quarterfinals tomorrow.
Fordham takes on No. 2 Seed Saint Louis Thursday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. from Washington D.C. and streaming on ESPN+, for a spot in Friday's semifinal round of the A-10 Championship. Tomorrow's tournament games have been moved up one hour due to potential inclement weather expected Thursday evening.
