Fordham Softball continued their nine-game homestand this past week, beginning with a doubleheader against Drexel University on Wednesday. After, the Rams battled George Mason University over the weekend in their second Atlantic 10 series of the season.

The Rams were fresh off a series win against St. Bonaventure heading into Wednesday’s games against Drexel. The Dragons entered the Bronx at 5-15 and as losers of two straight against Stony Brook University.

Senior Devon Miller took the circle for the Rams in game one against the Dragons and was terrific, pitching a complete game while allowing just one run on five hits. This was Miller’s second straight seven-inning effort in what has been a positive stretch for the Pennsylvania native after some early season struggles.

The game was scoreless entering the bottom of the third when Fordham’s offense struck. With runners on second and third, graduate student Julia Martine layed down a bunt, and an error from Drexel pitcher Holly Spletzer allowed sophomore Mallory McClellan to score. The Rams tacked on two more in the third thanks to an RBI double from sophomore Sydney Wells that scored Martine and senior outfielder Michaela Carter.

That third inning provided enough offense for Fordham to see out the victory, as Miller allowed just the one run in the fifth to secure a 3-1 win.

In the second game against Drexel, the script flipped in favor of the Dragons. Both freshman Holly Beeman and junior Bailey Enoch struggled in the circle, although they didn’t receive much support from the defense behind them. Beeman allowed four runs and Enoch allowed five, but only five of those nine total runs allowed were earned. The Rams committed four errors defensively, extending innings and giving Drexel ample opportunities to strike.

Drexel got a gem from Jessica Schable, who held Fordham to just one run across seven innings. That lone run came from a Martine RBI single in the fifth, but Drexel walked away from Bahoshy Field with a 9-1 win in game two and a split of the doubleheader.

Against George Mason, the Rams and Patriots played three tight contests. George Mason won the first and last games of the series, taking two from the Rams in A-10 action.

Game one was a low-scoring affair that remained scoreless until the fifth inning, when Carter drove in graduate student Sarah Taffet to give Fordham a 1-0 lead. Miller was in the circle again for the Rams and was terrific until she hit a roadblock in the top of the sixth. George Mason’s Nicole Bechtel led off the inning with a game-tying home run, which was immediately followed by a double and a walk to set up the Patriots in a position to take the lead.

They did just that on a Maddy Myers RBI single that scored Rachel Warrens. A sacrifice fly then made it 3-1 George Mason, with Fordham now needing a late-inning rally in order to win. But after going behind, the Rams couldn’t get a runner on base. George Mason took game one by a final of 3-1.

Games two and three were played as a double header on Sunday. Looking to bounce back in game two, Fordham fell behind 4-0 by the fifth inning. Down and facing a second straight defeat to a conference opponent, Sydney Wells stepped up in a huge way for Fordham.

First, she hit a solo homer in the bottom of the fourth to get the Rams on the board. Then, Wells delivered the keynote in the fifth with a massive grand slam to put Fordham in the lead 5-4.

George Mason answered back with a run on a sacrifice fly in the fifth, but the Rams delivered the knockout blow in the sixth on an RBI single from freshman Neleh Nogay. Beeman, who came on in relief of Enoch, shut the door in the seventh to secure the 6-5 victory for Fordham.

With the series tied at one, George Mason were able to win the decisive third game in another low-scoring contest. Although Beeman pitched in relief of Enoch just hours earlier, she was given the start in game three. Remarkably, she went the distance, pitching seven full innings.

Fordham got on the board with a run in the fourth thanks to an Enoch sacrifice fly, and the score stayed at 1-0 until the fifth inning. George Mason scored two in the fifth of Beeman on a pair of RBI singles to take the lead. The Patriots then added an insurance run in the sixth as Fordham’s offense struggled to figure out the pitching of Aly Rayle. Fordham were unable to spark a comeback late, as George Mason took game three by a score of 3-1 and headed back to Virginia with a series win.

The Rams now sit at 11-17 overall and 3-3 in A-10 play. They’ll be back in action with a one-off game against Hofstra University on Wednesday to conclude their homestand before hitting the road for a three-game set with the University of Rhode Island in Kingston.