Fourth-year Rachel Zingerman’s home run sparked the comeback effort in game two of Sunday’s doubleheader. PHOTO CREDIT: gorhody.com
The University of Rhode Island softball team began a successful week with a historic series win over Fordham on Sunday, beating the visiting Rams in a three-game series in Kingston for the first time in 22 years.
Fordham came into the series having won 16 of the last 17 contests between the two teams dating back to May 2nd, 2019, where Rhode Island last overcame Fordham in a 1-0 road win. To find the last time URI were victorious against Fordham in Kingston, however, one would have to look much deeper into the record books: back to April 8th, 2001.
Exactly 22 years later, this series got off to a hot start for Fordham, who took an early 3-0 lead in the first inning of game one on Friday and never looked back. Looking to continue their dominance over URI in recent years, Fordham overwhelmed URI on the bases, loading them three separate times before URI pitcher Katie Zaun could finally retire the side. A sacrifice fly from Sydney Wells opened the scoring, and Eva Koratsis added two more to Fordham’s tally with a two-run single just minutes later.
Through the next three innings, both teams remained knotted at 0, despite URI finding their way into scoring position on multiple occasions. Lights-out pitching from Zaun through this stretch wasn’t enough for URI, who were unable to generate enough offense to chip into the lead, and it was eventually Fordham that would find the next set of runs in the fifth inning.
Koratsis would once again drive in a pair of runs with a double in the top of the fifth to extend the lead to 5-0 for Fordham. Despite a pitching change for URI, they failed to keep the first-year off the scoresheet. She would record her fifth and sixth runs-batted-in (RBI’s) with another two-run single in the sixth inning as Fordham took a commanding lead and never looked back, eventually stretching their lead to 10-0 to force a mercy-rule finish in six innings.
The two teams would do battle once again the next day in a doubleheader to decide the series, and this time it was the home side who came out swinging. Fourth-year Liz Lynchard stepped into the circle for the Rams, pitching a complete game and recording a shutout in the process.
“I feel like we’re the underdogs in this situation, nobody expects us to go out there and win,” fourth-year utility player Rachel Zingerman said after the game. “We do have a chip on our shoulder, but we don’t have the pressure. I think going out loose, we had a fight under us today and we got it done.”
Neither team was able to round the bases through the first two innings, as the game stayed locked at 0 in the early stages. Fordham was able to advance a runner as far as third with only one out on the board, but Lynchard was able to pitch her way out of the jam to prevent the visitors from opening the scoring.
It was eventually URI who got on the board first, as a two-run single off the bat of Skyler Rapuano in the bottom of the third drove in Elena Gonzalez and a racing Rachel Zingerman. Zingerman slid home and narrowly beat the ball to the plate to give URI a 2-0 lead.
In the fourth inning, Miller’s RBI single would drive in Emily Power to extend URI’s lead to three, and that would be enough to preserve the 3-0 win over URI, their first over Fordham in four years. Liz Lynchard would record eight strikeouts in a complete shutout game, retiring four straight batters with runners in scoring position to end the game.
“They [Fordham] always put up a good fight,” Goldstein said. “We try not to make anybody bigger than what they are, and if we can just focus on our own selves that is really what the message was today: Focus on us, don’t let little things, whether it be chippiness from somebody else, don’t let that get to you, we have to rise above and be classy.”
With momentum on their side, Rhode Island would return to action against Fordham just 30 minutes later for game two of the doubleheader to decide the series.
In similar fashion to the first game, Rhode Island would once again find themselves the victim of an early deficit. Fordham would take the lead in the second inning through Bailey Enoch’s solo home run, the first of the series for either team. The visitors would tack on three more runs with two outs on the board in the fourth, taking an early 4-0 lead through a Sarah Taffet RBI double and a two-run single from Amanda Carey, but this time URI came storming back to life.
Rachel Zingerman pulled once back for URI in the bottom of the fourth, hitting a home run that sailed down left field and over the back wall to make it 4-1. From there, Miller and Hernandez registered consecutive singles to put runners on first and third, and the pair combined for a double steal to send Miller home and cut the deficit in half.
“There’s moments where we can score four, five, six runs, and I don’t ever think they stop believing in that,” Goldstein said.
Rhode Island would continue to claw their way back from behind in the fifth inning, as Skyler Rapuano reached on an error that allowed Hernandez to score, bringing the game within one. Still not done yet, first-year Emily Bulinski entered as a pinch hitter for URI, recording her first career collegiate home run in her first at-bat of the game, driving in Rapuano to give the Rams their first lead of the game at 5-4. Rhode Island would conclude a five-run inning with an RBI double from Power that drove Zongerman in, giving the home side a 6-4 lead before Fordham were finally able to end the inning.
The visitors would drag one back through a solo home run off the bat of Koratsis, but Zaun was able to close out the game in the circle and preserve a 6-5 come-from-behind victory for URI. The comeback would seal their first series win against Fordham since 2012, as the Rams came out victorious against the preseason favorites.
“This team does the little things right,” Goldstein said. “Year one [last year] was different in terms of where we were, now that we have eight seniors, two graduates, we have such great leadership. Everyday they steer the ship and I think the rest of everybody believes in them and gets on the same ship with them.”
The Rams returned to action just one day later, blanking Maine in a pair of games on Monday. For more on those games, visit Allexandra Shaw’s recap (page 12, rhodycigar.com.)
Next up for Rhode Island, their home stretch will continue with a three-game series vs. Dayton this weekend. First pitch is set for 12 p.m. on Saturday in game one of a doubleheader on ESPN+.