MERION STATION, Pa.— A four-run second inning gave No. 3 Fordham a big lead that it turned into a 7-3 win over second-seeded Saint Joseph's Thursday afternoon in the first round of the Atlantic 10 Softball Championship at SJU Softball Field.
 
The Rams (37-8) advance to Friday's winners bracket semifinal to face No. 4 Dayton, upset winners over top-seeded George Washington in the championship's first game. Fordham and Dayton will meet Friday at noon, while Saint Joseph's will play GW Thursday afternoon in an elimination game.
 
Sarah Taffet took a bases-loaded walk in the fourth to push in Michaela Carter for the first of the four second-inning runs. A fielding error with the bases still loaded on the next batter, Rachel Hubertus allowed Brianna Pinto to score, and then a single by Bailey Enoch and a groundout by Bella Ayala drove in Julia Martine and Taffet in the next two at bats.
 
The four runs broke open a game that was 2-1 in favor of the Rams following the first inning. Hubertus homered to left field in the first inning, driving in Madie Aughinbaugh, but SJU countered in the bottom of the inning with a Caela Abadie single up the middle that pushed Kirstin Cox home.
 
The Hawks (26-19) cut into the lead in the third, when Nicole Bondoc scored on a foul fly-out by Molly Kapala and Sarah Ostaszewski scored on another Abadie single. Fordham added one last run in the fifth on a Pinto single that plated Anne Marie Prentiss.
 
Aughinbaugh (14-2) earned the win, throwing a complete game, allowing five hits and three runs (one earned) with four strikeouts in the seven innings. SJU starter Amanda Herr (11-6) took the loss, surrendering seven hits and six runs in 1 1/3 innings pitched.
 
Abadie's two hits and two RBI led the Hawks, while four Fordham players had two hits, and Hubertus had a trio of RBI.