April showers certainly came as the calendar changed, but conditions did not stop the Fordham Softball team from a sweep in their seven-game homestand and establishing a nine-game winning streak this past week.

The Rams picked up their sixth straight win with a non-conference victory over the Stony Brook University Seawolves. Fordham University struck early, scoring six runs over the first two innings. Two came in the first with the bases loaded for clean-up hitter junior Nicki Sudall. A single down the right field line scored junior Neleh Nogay and senior Sydney Wells for an early lead. The second inning saw a similar story. The Rams loaded the bases for Wells, who brought in senior Allie Clark on a sacrifice fly. With Sudall back at the plate, one came home on her double to left field. Junior Kate McGuire capped off the inning with a two-run single to center field, extending Fordham’s lead to 6-0.

The Seawolves got on the board with a solo home run in the top of the third, but Wells responded in the bottom of the fourth with one of her own to make it 7-1. After holding Stony Brook to just one run over six innings, Fordham sophomore starter Olivia Simcoe got into trouble in the top of the seventh. With two outs, Simcoe put two on before giving up a three-run homer. That was all she allowed, holding onto the Rams’ lead and securing her third win on the season.

Then, in a rearranged, rainy series versus the George Mason University Patriots, Fordham was able to persevere and earn another Atlantic 10 sweep.

In a narrow, 2-1 first game on Friday, Sudall provided the Rams with all the offense needed to win while junior Holly Beeman dazzled in the circle. Nogay picked up her first of seven hits on the weekend to lead off the bottom of the first. Continuing to demonstrate her speed on the bases, a stolen base and wild pitch allowed Nogay to reach third. Sudall knocked a single up the middle to score the speedster for a 1-0 lead.

George Mason tied the game in the fourth when they pushed across one on an RBI single. Fordham’s response was not immediate, but when they did respond it came in the form of a solo blast by Sudall in the sixth, securing the Rams’ victory. Beeman earned the win, allowing just five hits and the one run over seven innings.

Game two on Friday ended with a 7-3 win for the Rams. This time, the Patriots struck first, scoring one run on a pair of hits and a groundout to start the game. Fordham answered in the bottom of the inning with four. With the top of the lineup loading the bases on a pair of singles and a walk, the middle of the lineup put the ball in play and forced errors to take the lead. McGuire earned one RBI and sophomore Erin Hoppe earned two on their batted balls, which produced errors.

The Rams added a fifth run in the second on a groundout by Sudall, scoring Nogay. Both teams added a run in the third, George Mason on a pair of doubles and Fordham on a pair of singles to center by Hoppe and Nogay. The sixth inning saw a similar situation: the Patriots pushed one across in the top of the inning just for the Rams to respond in the bottom half with an RBI single by Hoppe, ending the scoring at 7-3. Hoppe went 2-for-3 in the victory with three RBIs. Senior Emilee Watkins earned the win — her sixth of the season — allowing three runs and nine hits with one walk and two strikeouts.

Fordham completed a sweep of George Mason with a rain-delayed, extra-inning, walk-off win on Saturday. Starting at 11 a.m., the game took four hours and 29 minutes to complete as the Rams pushed through the rainy conditions.

The Patriots started the scoring in the first when they scored two runs on two hits. George Mason maintained the lead until Fordham responded in the fourth. Nogay and Wells scored on an error, put in play by junior Eva Koratsis. The Patriots retook the lead on an RBI double in the sixth. Then, with two outs in the seventh, Fordham was able to push one across on a wild pitch to send the already extended game to extra innings.

George Mason put two on with one out in the eighth. Beeman in the circle, however, locked down the Patriot offense, striking out a pair to send it to the bottom of the inning. The Rams struck quickly to secure the 4-3 victory, with Wells and Koratsis both knocking doubles down the right field line to walk it off. Beeman earned her tenth win on the season.

Although scoring fewer runs than in their series versus the St. Bonaventure University Bonnies, the Rams’ offense continues to produce — especially at the top of the lineup with Nogay leading off — when they need to.

Improving to 20-16 on the season and 10-2 in conference play, the Rams look to maintain their strength as the team embarks on a five-game road trip. They will take on two A-10 opponents in the Saint Joseph’s University Hawks in a doubleheader this Wednesday, April 9 and the George Washington University Revolutionaries in a weekend series beginning on April 12.