By Anthony Pucik
The Yankees lost to the Toronto Blue Jays 6-3 on Thursday April 9, but there was another team from the Bronx in attendance that had plenty of reasons to celebrate. The Fordham softball team was in attendance at the stadium and was welcomed onto the field pre game to be recognized for winning their third Atlantic 10 Championship in four years.
The team gathered in front of home plate with the Fordham Ram logo on the big screen behind them and stood while the public address announcer described how the 2014 team “reached a level of success unimaginable in the first few years of Fordham Softball.”
The team was described as a “unique mix of upperclassmen leadership and young talent,” led by seniors Elise Fortier and Gabby Luety.
Fortier, the shortstop, ended her Fordham career in record fashion, breaking the school record for RBI in a season (73), slugging percentage (.854) and tied her record for home runs in a season with 20 in just three years with the team after transferring from Stony Brook University. Fortier also ended the year strong with a .389 average and 13 doubles.
Luety, named to the All-Atlantic First Team and Atlantic 10 All-Championship Team in her final year as catcher, also had a great season. She hit .331 with nine doubles, 13 homers and 31 RBI on the year. Their power, combined with clutch hitting from other veterans such as now-senior Kayla Lombardo and pitching now-senior Michele Daubman were main reasons for Fordham’s success last season.
For Lombardo, the ceremony was very special for a number of reasons. “The experience was a dream come true for me as a Yankees fan,” she said. “Fordham continues to enable us to do things that normal college students and student-athletes don’t get to experience, and for that, we are all so proud to be Rams.”
As for their youth, now-sophomores Amy Van Hoven, Sydney Canessa and Lauren Quense provided a spark both at the box and in the circle. Van Hoven was named First Team All-Atlantic 10 in her first season at second base, batting second best on the team with .367, tied for the team lead in hits with 61 and led the team with two triples. Canessa was equally impressive in the leadoff spot, batting .309 and scoring 48 runs while also adding six homers, which also placed her on the First Team All-Atlantic 10. Quense was a big help to Daubman and Rachel Gillen on the mound, going 5-4 with a 3.32 earned run average, walking only 24 batters in 82.1 innings pitched. Stepping onto the scene and immediately making an impact, these three women along with other underclassmen like now-junior reliever Patti Maloney were essential to the depth of this Fordham team.
Head coach Bridget Orchard was also recognized for her “stellar coaching career at Rose Hill.”
Last season culminated in a victory over St. Louis in the A-10 Championship at the Rams’ home at Bahoshy Field and a trip to the NCAA Regionals that “helped string together the program’s 12th straight season with at least 32 wins.”
The ceremony was also a reminder that there is still work to be done this season.
“The experience absolutely served as a motivation for us to get back on track and win another championship this year,” Lombardo said. “We hit a bit of a rough patch recently, but the rings are back on our minds now and we are ready and willing to do whatever it takes to defend our title.”
Prior to Wednesday’s doubleheader with St. Bonaventure, the team is 7-4 in the Atlantic 10, good for fourth in the conference. The top six teams in the conference qualify for the postseason tournament, which will begin on May 6 in Amherst, Massachusetts.