After more than a decade of domination, Rose Hill’s hidden dynasty is set to live on for another year at least. The Fordham softball team swept the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Minutewomen in four games this past weekend to improve to 15-3 on the season and 4-0 in the Atlantic 10 (A10) conference. 

The first two victories on Friday were hard-fought, but in the second doubleheader the following day, the Rams outscored their opponent 26-2 to take both contests by mercy rule. After the series, Head Coach Melissa Inouye gave her team credit for a well-rounded weekend.

“It was really fun to watch our hitters use all of the field and to hit for power up and down the lineup,” Inouye said. “Overall, great first conference weekend by our entire team as everyone played a role in some way.”

With four games split over two days, the first doubleheader on Friday was more competitive than the second on Saturday, as both teams brought their best on the first day of conference play.

As the reigning A10 co-Champions of 2019, Fordham didn’t need many more advantages over its first conference opponent to be considered the favorite in the series. But in addition to a reputation as sparkling as their trophy case, the Rams also entered the matchup vastly more prepared than the Minutewomen. UMass had only managed to play four preseason games since March 12, going 2-2, while Fordham had compiled an 11-3 overall record, as well as an eight-game winning streak dating back to March 13.

With four games split over two days, the first doubleheader on Friday was more competitive than the second on Saturday, as both teams brought their best on the first day of conference play. Madie Aughinbaugh, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences ’22, led off the top of the first with a single and scored on a sacrifice fly later in the inning. The star two-way player then took the mound as Fordham’s ace in the bottom of the inning, but UMass struck back with a two-run rally of its own to take a 2-1 lead.

The Minutewomen maintained a one-run lead until the fifth inning, when Sarah Taffet, Gabelli School of Business at Rose Hill (GSBRH) ’22, hit a double to right field that allowed Aughinbaugh to score all the way from first base and tie the game.

The Rams scored again the following inning to take the lead on an RBI single from Michaela Carter, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’23, and an insurance run in the seventh gave the team a safer 4-2 lead. After a tough first inning, Aughinbaugh was dominant on the mound, allowing only two more hits in six innings while striking out seven batters to secure Fordham’s first conference victory of the 2021 season.

The second game of the Friday doubleheader was also closely contested and remained scoreless through the first four innings. With two outs in the top of the fifth, though, Devon Miller, FCRH ’22, worked out a walk, and Carter singled in the next at-bat to put runners on first and third.

Brianna Pinto, FCRH ’21, singled down the left field line to drive in Miller for the first run of the game, and with runners on first and second, Aughinbaugh stepped up to the plate. A few hours earlier, the team captain had led her team to victory with her legs on the base paths and arm on the mound. This time, she powered up, hitting a three-run home run to left field to put Fordham ahead 4-0.

The Rams aren’t alone as the only high-powered team in the A10 conference, and it’s unlikely that every series this season is as overwhelmingly favorable as this one.

In the top of the sixth, UMass responded with a single run, but beyond that, the opposing batters were no match for Miller on the mound. In addition to starting the game-winning two-out rally, the sophomore pitcher was also unstoppable on the mound in a 12-strikeout complete-game performance.

After two evenly matched games on Friday, it’s difficult to explain the overnight transformation that led to the results of Saturday’s doubleheader. What’s important, though, is that Fordham suddenly became an overwhelming foe for its A10 rival.

In the first game on Saturday, the Rams jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning and never looked back. Bella Ayala, FCRH ’24, hit home runs in the first and third innings, and after a five-run rally in the fourth, Fordham led 10-0. 

Anne Marie Prentiss, FCRH ’21, threw five scoreless innings on the mound and didn’t need to return for the sixth and seventh. College softball games end after five innings if one team has a lead of eight runs or more. Known as the mercy rule, it was fresh in the players’ minds as they prepared for the final game of the series later that day.

After a conspicuously silent first inning, the Minutewomen scratched out a run on a sacrifice fly to take a 1-0 lead in the second. It’s arguable that the Rams overreacted to this offensive affront. The team scored seven runs in the third, five runs in the fourth and four runs in the fifth to take a 16-1 lead.

Aughinbaugh started this game on the mound and was well on her way to her second stellar start of the weekend, but it suddenly became clear that her services were no longer necessary. She came out after the fourth with her team far ahead, and while UMass managed to score another run against Makenzie McGrath, GSBRH ’22, it was a pittance as Fordham went on to win another game by mercy rule in a 16-2 romp.

The Rams aren’t alone as the only high-powered team in the A10 conference, and it’s unlikely that every series this season is as overwhelmingly favorable as this one. Saint Joseph’s University and Dayton University are also off to undefeated starts and could represent legitimate competition as the season wears on. 

What’s clear, though, is that Fordham is once again a contender in a sport the university has controlled for years, and with Inouye at the helm and Aughinbaugh leading the team, the historic run of success could very well continue into this new decade.

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