The Stony Brook softball team fell to the Fordham Rams in a two-game sweep on Wednesday, Mar. 16.
The Seawolves couldn’t fend off the Rams, despite jumping out to a two-run lead in the third inning of game one; they lost the first matchup by just one run. Game two was a different story — the Rams scored six runs and held the Seawolves to five hits in a shutout win to secure the sweep.
“Unfortunately, the story of the games today was that we got away from what we do well offensively and Fordham made the most of their situational opportunities,” head coach Megan T. Bryant said in a press release.
The Seawolves now drop to a 9-7 record — the closest they have been to .500 all season long. Pitcher Dawn Bodrug (4-4) was the losing pitcher of game one, despite striking out 12 batters and surrendering only two hits in a complete-game performance against the Rams. Pitcher Shelbi Denman (5-3) threw three scoreless innings to start game two, but eventually gave up six runs (three earned) over 4.2 innings of work.
Fordham has now beaten Stony Brook in four straight games, dating back to 2021. Prior to the doubleheader on Wednesday, Stony Brook’s most recent matchup against Fordham ended in heartbreak. Center fielder Brianna Pinto sent the Rams home with a walk-off grand slam off of Bodrug to extend Fordham’s winning streak to 13.
Pinto, now a graduate student, was held to just one hit in six plate appearances during Wednesday’s doubleheader.
Stony Brook struck first in game one, when designated player Catherine Anne Kupinski roped a two-run single into center field. The hit scored center fielder Alicia Orosco and right fielder Alyssa Costello. The Seawolves stranded Kupinski on the base paths to end the top of the third inning.
Stony Brook’s lead was short-lived. With a runner on first base in the bottom of the fourth inning, Fordham first baseman Rachel Hubertus launched a game-tying home run to left-center field.
After a scoreless fifth inning on both sides, Fordham struck once again. Utility player Mary Grace O’Neil, who pinch ran for Hubertus after a walk, stole second base and came around to score to put the Rams up by one run. Fordham held onto the lead, winning the first game by a final score of 3-2.
Game two was a pitcher’s duel through the first three innings. Denman was nearly perfect through three, allowing only a single by second baseman Allie Clarke in the first inning. Rams pitcher Bailey Enoch got into some trouble in the bottom of the first after giving up a single to Orosco and walking third baseman Kyra McFarland. Enoch was able to work out of the jam and keep the score at zero.
Trouble for the Seawolves came in the bottom of the fourth when Pinto advanced to third base on a throwing error by Denman. A fielder’s choice scored Pinto, giving the Rams a 1-0 lead.
The damage continued as Denman walked the next two batters. With two runners on base, the Seawolves committed their second error of the inning; this time, a miscue by second baseman Brooke Dye allowed the Rams to take a 3-0 lead heading into the fifth.
Fordham put the nail in the coffin when third baseman Julia Martine stepped up to the plate. She slugged a three run homer, scoring Pinto and Hubertus and extending the Rams’ lead to six.
Denman handed the ball to pitcher Ashton Melaas for the rest of day. However, it was too late for a sluggish Stony Brook offense to stage a comeback. The Rams shut down the Seawolves by a final score of 6-0 to secure the sweep.
Stony Brook struggled to generate runs on Wednesday, especially in game two. By the final out, the Seawolves had stranded 10 runners on the basepaths. Over the course of the entire day, this number totaled to 17.
“We can’t leave 17 runners on base and expect to win,” Bryant said.
The heart of Stony Brook’s lineup — Kupinski, first baseman Lindsey Osmer and catcher Corinne Badger — was responsible for 11 of the team’s 17 total runners left on base.
Costello led Stony Brook with two hits in game one. Badger racked up her fifth multi-hit game of the season in game two. McFarland extended her on-base streak to 15 games with a pair of walks in each game. Despite a few solid hitting performances and a complete game effort by Bodrug in the circle, Kupinski’s two RBIs were the only runs the Seawolves could put together against the Rams.
“We will regroup, go back to work and turn the page on this doubleheader,” Bryant said.
Stony Brook looks to bounce back over the weekend as the team prepares to compete in the Rutgers Tournament from Mar. 19-20.
