CHICAGO – The final home weekend of the season got underway Saturday with Loyola Chicago and Fordham splitting a doubleheader. The Ramblers won game one 4-2 with a walk-off two-run homer in the eighth, while the Rams rallied in game two winning 5-1.
 
Loyola improves to 26-22 overall and 15-10 in A-10 play.
 
Game One: Loyola 4, Fordham 2
Saturday's opener got off to a quiet start with neither team seeing a hit until the fourth inning. Fordham got ahead in the top with a walk and single in the first two at-bats. Both runners made it home on a sac fly situation from Koratsis.
 
The Ramblers cut the lead in half in the bottom with a pair of stolen bases by Teagan Sopczak and Riley Owens. Owens' steal of home put Loyola on the board.
 
Loyola kept momentum going and tied the game 2-2 in the bottom of the fifth. Ava Bieneman got on with a single up the middle and advanced to second on a sac bunt. Sydney Barnett floated a single to left field to plate Bieneman for the tying run.
 
The Ramblers didn't give up another hit and forced extra innings. The Rams tallied a base runner in the eighth with a walk but left her stranded. Loyola matched the walk in the lead-off spot setting up Sopczak's two-run blast for the walk-off 4-2 win.
 
Inside the Box Score
- Loyola finished with four hits.
- Sopczak was 2-for-2 with a run and RBI.
- Bieneman and Barnett recorded a hit each.
- Peyton Pepkowski retired 10 batters over eight innings. She improved to 13-10 in the circle.
- This was Loyola's eighth extra-inning game of the season.
 
Game Two: Fordham 5, Loyola 1
The Rams rallied in game two with a hot first inning at the plate. The first two batters got on base and were cleared with a three-run bomb by Koratsis for an early 3-0 lead.
 
The three-run lead held until the bottom of the second when the Ramblers plated Sopczak on a ground out from Abbie Gregus.
 
The Rams made up for it in the fifth with two more runs on four hits and an error. Ayala's single to left made it a 5-1 edge for Fordham. The Ramblers tallied one final hit in the bottom frame, and the Rams held on to win.
 
Inside the Box Score
- Fordham out hit Loyola, 10-3.
- Sopczak, Jocelyn Currie, and Gregus recorded one hit each.
- Gregus tallied a double.
- Andie Broniewicz falls to 11-8 with 4.2 innings pitched and five strikeouts.
- Maddy Hickey struck out two in relief.
 
Up Next
The regular season concludes Sunday at 12 p.m. vs. the Rams. Seven seniors will be honored
post game.