How It Happened
For the first time in 11 seasons, Rhode Island won a series against Fordham, as URI swept a doubleheader against the defending Atlantic 10 tournament champions Saturday. Rhody (13-19, 6-5 Atlantic 10) won the first game 3-0 and rallied to take the second contest 6-5, marking the first time it has defeated Fordham (13-19, 4-5 A-10) at home in 22 years.

Game 1 - Rhode Island 3, Fordham 0
Senior Liz Lynchard was dominant, pitching a complete-game shutout while striking out eight batters in the opener.

Fordham managed to get a runner into scoring position in each of the first six innings, but Lynchard (5-6) never buckled. In the top of the second, Fordham had a runner on third with one out, but Lynchard induced a pair of groundouts to third baseman Emily Power to get out of the jam. In the sixth inning, with a runner on first and nobody out, Power snared a line drive and doubled the runner off first. From there, Lynchard retired the final four batters in order to complete the gem.

In the bottom of the third, Skyler Rapuano delivered a two-out, two-run single that scored Elena Gonzalez and Rachel Zingerman to provide all the support Lynchard needed. Casey Miller offered insurance an inning later with an RBI single that drove in Power.

Game 2 - Rhode Island 6, Fordham 5
Trailing 4-0 midway through the game, Rhode Island powered its way back. Rachel Zingerman started the comeback with a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth to give URI life. An inning later, Casey Miller and Hannah Hernandez had back-to-back singles to put runners on the corners. The freshmen then executed a double steal to trim the deficit to 4-2.

Skyler Rapuano reached on an error, and Hernandez scored on the play to make it a one-run game. Freshman Kylie Bulinski then came to the plate as a pinch hitter and launched a long home run to right field, giving URI a 5-4 lead. Before the inning was over, Emily Power had an RBI double that drove in Rachel Zingerman for a two-run lead.

The extra run came in handy, as Fordham's Eva Koratsis hit a solo home run in the top of the sixth to get her team within one run. However, Katie Zaun (6-8) was able to finish out the game and help URI secure a significant conference series.
 
Inside the Box Scores

• With the two victories, Rhode Island has exceeded last year's win total, despite having 20 more games in the regular season. The Rams were 11-35 overall and 4-20 in Atlantic 10 play last season.
• The last time Rhody won a season series with Fordham was May 6, 2012, when URI swept a doubleheader 1-0 and 6-3 at Fordham.
• Rhody's last home win over Fordham was an 8-0 win on April 8, 2001. URI had lost 13 straight home games in the series.
• Sophomore Emily Power had a big day at the plate and in the field. She was 3-for-5 with a double one walk, one run scored and one RBI offensively.
• At third base, Power saved multiple runs with her glove, finishing the day with six assists and three putouts.
• Freshman Casey Miller was 4-for-6 with a walk, two runs scored and one run batted in for the day. She had two hits and one run scored in each game.
• Freshman Hannah Hernandez singled, scored and had a stolen base in the second game. She now has a five-game hitting streak.
• Senior Rachel Zingerman homered, walked and scored twice in the second game. The homer was her fourth of the season and second of the week.
• Zingerman also scored one run in the first game.
• Freshman Kylie Bulinski's home run was her second of the season.
• Rhode Island was 4-for-4 on stolen bases for the day, giving the Rams 53 for the season. It is the most for the team in one year since 2008, when URI stole 56 bases.

What's Next
Rhode Island is back at the URI Softball Complex for a doubleheader Monday against Maine. First pitch is at 1 p.m. Both games will stream on ESPN+.