Fordham University Athletics

Chicago, Ill. – The Fordham softball Rams brought their own gusts to the Windy City today, sweeping a doubleheader from first-place Loyola University Chicago, 3-2, and 15-3, at the Loyola Softball Park.
 
With the sweep, Fordham improves to 23-25 overall, 13-10 in the Atlantic 10, while Loyola falls to 25-22 overall, 17-6 in the conference. The Rams move into a second place tie with Saint Louis in the league standings.
 
In game one, the Rams scored all three runs in the first and Olivia Simcoe and Sydney May combined on a five-hitter, striking out six, to lead the Rams to the win.
 
In game two, Fordham used a ten-run seventh to turn a 5-3 leading into a commanding 15-3 advantage with Nicki Sudall going 2-for-3 with six RBI and Sophie Nesturrick driving in three runs for the Rams.
 
Game One

• The Rams jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first. With one out, Mikayla Swan and Sudall singled and one out later Eva Koratsis walked to load the bases
• Kate McGuire blooped a double into centerfield, just beyond the reach of the Loyola centerfielder, to score Swan and Sudall.
• Nesturrick followed with an RBI single to make it a 3-0 game.
• The Ramblers got a run back in the home half of the inning and used a solo home run in the second to make it a 3-2 game.
• Fordham reliever Sydney May came on with runners on second and third and one out in the bottom of the fifth and immediately got Loyola to hit into an inning-ending 5-3-2 double play.
• May retired the side in order in the seventh, striking out the first two hitters, to pick up her fourth save of the year.

Game Two

• The Rams took a 1-0 lead on a bases loaded walk to Sudall in the third.
• The game remained 1-0 until the top of the fifth when Fordham tacked on four runs on a Sudall two-run single and a two-run home run from Sadira Forcucci, her team-leading seventh of the year.
• The Ramblers cut the Fordham lead to two with three tallies in the bottom of the sixth before the Rams exploded for ten in the seventh.
• Neleh Nogay and Swan led off the seventh with walks and Sudall was hit by a pitch to load the bases.
• One out later, Koratsis grounded out to deliver Nogay and after McGuire walked, Nesturrick cleared the bases with a double to deep center.
• After Morgan Volgraf singled, consecutive RBI singles from Victoria Klimaszewski, Nogay, and Swan made it a 12-3 game.
• Later in the inning Sudall connected on a three-run opposite field home run to give the Rams the 15-3 lead.
• Holly Beeman threw the first six inning for the Rams to record the win with Klimaszewski coming on to pitch the seventh, striking out one.

Notes

• Nogay stole a base in game two, bring her season total to 34 and her career total to a school-record 117.
• Nogay collected three hits in the two games to bring her career total to 246, moving her ahead of Amy Van Hoven and into fifth on the Fordham career list.
• Nogay has hit safely in her last six games and has scored at least one run in 12 of her last 13.
• Maguire leads the Atlantic 10 with 15 doubles this year.
• Simcoe picked up her 12^th win of the year in game one, the second most of any A-10 pitcher
• May is second in the Atlantic 10 in saves this year with four.
• Besides leading the team in home runs Forcucci also leads the squad in RBI with 42, tops among all A-10 players.
• Forcucci has hit safely in five straight and eleven of her last 12.
• The two double plays turned by the Rams today brings their season total to 24, second most among A-10 schools.
• The Ram offense leads the league with 386 hits as a team after picking up 21 in the two games today.
• The 15 runs in game two are the most for the Rams this year and the most since a 15-0 win over St. Bonaventure last year on March 29.
• Fordham has won its last three Atlantic 10 series, taking two of three from Rhode Island and Saint Joseph's prior to this weekend.

What's Next?
The two teams close out the three-game series, and the A-10 regular season, with a single game on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. (EDT)