The Fordham softball team wrapped up Easter weekend with a decisive win after dropping two in a three-game series against the St. Joseph’s University (SJU) Hawks. The Rams, who were 9-2 since being swept by George Washington University in mid-March, recovered their momentum in the final game of the St. Joseph’s series.

The series started off Friday, April 15, with a disappointing 5-0 defeat. Hawks pitcher Emily Siler, SJU ’24, allowed just four hits in the afternoon while striking out five Fordham batters. 

The game started out slow. In the first three innings, the Hawks ran home only twice, and the Rams remained scoreless. Come the fourth, Rams pitcher Devon Miller, Gabelli School of Business at Rose Hill (GSBRH) ’23, struggled to contain the Hawks’ offense. She faced just four batters, allowing four hits and two runs before being replaced by greenhorn pitcher Emilee Watkins, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’25.

The Rams at bat were disappointing as Brianna Pinto, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) ’22; Michaela Carter, FCRH ’23; and Miller were the only Fordham players to record hits. None of them produced much offense, although Pinto stole two bases, her forte.

McGrath kept the Hawks in check and Fordham’s bats were similarly stymied until the top of the fourth inning.

The game ended in a 5-0 victory for St. Joseph’s. It was an early and sore reminder of the mediocre season that the team is experiencing — a predicament that might not have been expected after a standout 2021 season. The Rams were 37-10 that year and lost only a single away game.

With the record nearing .500 at 18-16 after the first game, the Saturday doubleheader still offered the Rams the possibility of winning the series and staying afloat past a 50/50 split, an outcome dreaded in competitive sports.

Saturday’s two-game slate opened with Makenzie McGrath, GSBRH ’22, on the rubber in the midst of a stellar pitching season. McGrath kept the Hawks in check and Fordham’s bats were similarly stymied until the top of the fourth inning.

By then Fordham had recorded just two hits and got three players to base. St. Joseph’s picked up some speed and Fordham couldn’t keep up. The Hawks didn’t produce any runs but managed to load the bases before switching sides.

When the Hawks were back up at the top of the fifth, they didn’t lose any time, and Kayla Tauber, SJU ’25, quickly advanced off a single up the middle. She made it to second when Jordan Hinkle, SJU ’22, grounded a hit, sending Tauber to third. A double by Sarah Cancila, SJU ’25, batted in Tauber for the first and only score of the game.

Perhaps the Rams were still reeling from their sour defeat the previous day, but their energy was lackluster and insufficient to overcome the Hawks’ fifth inning success.

McGrath pitched all seven innings for just the fourth time this season. She has recorded an excellent ERA at 2.73 and is a solid replacement for Miller. St. Joseph’s pitcher Amanda Herr, SJU ’22, struck out nine Fordham batters and allowed just three hits.

After this 1-0 loss to the Hawks, the Rams had one last opportunity to avoid the sweep and a .500 record entering the final stretch of the season.

To top it all off, the Rams had a perfect performance in the top of the sixth, allowing zero hits.

But on Saturday afternoon it seemed that the Rams had had enough. The game lasted just six innings. The Rams opted for Bailey Enoch, FCRH ’24, at the rubber, and she didn’t disappoint. In the top of the first, Enoch quickly struck out Tauber. Hinkle and Madison Fife, SJU ’23, grounded out shortly thereafter.

The bottom of the first was Fordham’s revenge game in a nutshell. Pinto singled on a bunt and cleverly stole second. She then advanced to third after Carter was tagged out at first. Infielder Julia Martine, GSBRH ’22, singled to right-center and batted in Pinto. For good measure, Martine stole second and Enoch walked, courtesy of Siler, who is averaging a 3.98 ERA for the Hawks.

Three singles later, Martine and Enoch ran home to bring the Rams up to 4-0 by the end of the first period. The game calmed down again until the bottom of the third, when a double to left-center by Amanda Carey, FCRH ’23, allowed Enoch to score, 5-0 Fordham.

The Hawks couldn’t catch a break. Each time they were at bat, the Rams effectively shut them down. The bottom of the fifth brought more action. Both Carey and Allie Clark, GSBRH ’25, were tagged out, but their hits allowed Kelly Bright and Gigi Speer, both FCRH ’22, to advance. Speer made it back home before Sarah Taffet, GSBRH ’22, grounded out to switch the possession. The game was now 6-0 for Fordham.

To top it all off, the Rams had a perfect performance in the top of the sixth, allowing zero hits. Not a single St. Joseph’s batter made it to base. Fordham’s turn at batting in the penultimate inning was awash with the taste victory. 

Although Pinto whiffed, Carter’s turn at bat led her to first, and she was batted into home plate off a homer by Rachel Hubertus, FCRH ’22. The game ended early by mercy rule, in an 8-0 Fordham victory.

Although St. Joseph’s won the series 2-1, the Rams didn’t go down without a fight and, for the moment, salvaged their record and avoided going under. With only a few series left in the season, the odds are against the Rams in terms of salvaging their record.

The pitching changes throughout the series demonstrate Head Coach Melissa Inouye’s outlook on the season: giving young players experience in preparation for the next year.