Back in South Carolina for the second time this season, Fordham Softball went 2-2 in the Garnet and Black Invitational in Columbia.
Fordham opened its weekend with a 2-1 win over the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Rebels.
The Rams quickly sprung into action in the bottom of the first. Junior Neleh Nogay led off the game for Fordham with a bunt single. She advanced to second on a throwing error and then to third on a wild pitch. Sophomore Mikayla Swan followed this up with an infield single and stolen base to put two on with no outs for the Rams. Senior Sydney Wells knocked a single to the right side to score Nogay. An RBI groundout by junior Eva Koratsis plated a second run for Fordham, giving the team an early 2-0 lead.
Junior pitcher Holly Beeman held UNLV scoreless through three innings, but their bats woke up in the top of the fourth. The Rebels led off the inning with a single and double to narrow the Rams’ lead to 2-1. Beeman shut down the scoring for UNLV after the one run. Later, she faced trouble in the top of the seventh — with two on and no outs — but forced two flyouts and a pop-out to work out of the jam.
The Rams failed to push any more runs across, but the two-run first and Beeman’s effort in the circle was enough to secure the victory.
What started as a close game two of the invitational turned into a 9-1 mercy-rule loss as Fordham took on the host, No. 24 University of South Carolina Gamecocks.
The Rams tried to score early against the nationally ranked-team. They worked the bases loaded with a walk, single and hit-by-pitch, but were unsuccessful in getting on the board when a double play ended the inning. Fordham later paid for leaving runners on base without scoring when sophomore pitcher Olivia Simcoe gave up a solo home run in the bottom of the first, falling behind 1-0.
In the top of the fifth, though, Wells smacked an RBI double off the left-field wall to score senior Allie Clark, tying the game 1-1. South Carolina answered with two runs on a single in the bottom of the inning, retaking a 3-1 lead.
The Gamecocks exploded in the bottom of the sixth, adding six runs to their lead. Simcoe gave up one run on a two-out single before freshman Victoria Klimaszewski came on in relief. She struggled out of the bullpen, unable to get the last out for Fordham. The reliever gave up five runs (two credited to Simcoe, three to Klimaszewski), three hits and two walks before the Rams were mercied in five and 2/3 innings. Simcoe took her third loss of the season.
After a blowout in its first game on Saturday, Fordham dropped its second game of the day to UNLV in agonizing fashion: a walk-off home run for a 3-2 loss.
Similar to game one versus the Rebels, the Rams struck first with Nogay on the bases. She singled to lead off the game, then stole second, moved to third on a batted ball and scored on an RBI groundout by Wells. Fordham tacked on another run in the top of the fifth. Freshman Sophie Nesturrick led off with a walk. Later that inning, a single by freshman Morgan Volgraf sent Nesturrick home to extend the Rams lead to 2-0.
Freshman Elizabeth Gaisior was dazzling through the first six innings, allowing one run on a solo shot in the bottom of the fifth. What seemed like a certain, well-earned win quickly turned sour in the seventh when Gaisior gave up a walk-off, two-run homer to the Rebels. The freshman continues the search for her first collegiate win, despite putting on a strong performance at the invitational.
Game four against the Boston University (BU) Terriers became a pitchers’ duel, ending in an extra-inning 1-0 win for Fordham to close out their weekend in South Carolina.
The Rams scored a lone run in the top of the eighth inning. In what seems to be a common theme, Nogay touched home to put Fordham ahead. She reached on a fielder’s choice, stole second and then scored on an RBI single from Koratsis.
With Beeman in the circle for the Rams, the Terriers went down in order in the bottom of the eighth to secure the team’s second win in the invitational. The reigning Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Week limited BU to just five hits over eight innings, striking out three in her effort.
Beeman’s pitching continues to carry Fordham, as she improved her record to 4-2 on the season. This weekend, the senior tossed another accolade-worthy performance, allowing just one run over 15 innings in Fordham’s two victories. Pitching was not entirely the problem for the Rams this weekend. Gaisior pitched well against UNLV in game three, but with only a one-run lead, she had no room to make mistakes. Although the second game versus nationally ranked South Carolina ended in a blowout, Simcoe held the Gamecocks to just three runs before the big sixth inning.
Where the Rams continue to struggle is their offense. They scored just six runs and allowed 13 this weekend. Excluding game two, Fordham has only outscored their opponents 5-4. They were outhit in every game. All three opponents the Rams faced in the Garnet and Black Invitational are strong teams with winning records, so the fact that the team had three one-run games and held South Carolina within two for five innings is commendable. Fordham improved their record to 6-8 this season.
The Rams have an off week before starting a busy stretch. Starting March 5, they head to New Rochelle with a game against Iona University. The team will then travel to Harrisburg, Virginia, to play in the Lakeside Book Company Tournament beginning Friday, March 7.
