FAIRFAX, Va. – Second-seeded Fordham chipped away late at a deficit before pinch hitter Amanda Carey's walk-off RBI single gave the Rams a dramatic 3-2 win Thursday in the Atlantic 10 Softball Championship at George Mason Softball Complex.

After falling behind by two runs primarily due to a string of fifth-inning errors, Fordham (28-19) showcased serious resiliency, intially scoring one run apiece in the fifth and sixth to knot the contest at two before Carey completed the dramatic rally with her single through the center gap for the walk-off Rams victory.

With the win, the Rams advance to Friday's early afternoon contest within the winner's bracket, matching wits with top-seeded George Washington at noon ET at the George Mason Softball Complex. Saint Joseph's, meanwhile, slips into the consolation bracket and will take the victor between No. 4 Saint Louis and fifth-seeded Dayton in Friday's mid-afternoon elimination matchup. Both contests will be broadcast live via ESPN+.

The trend of pitcher's duels continued throughout the opening four innings, as zero total hits were allowed through the first three frames before each squad notched a single in the fourth. Mackenzie McGrath, who tossed the opening 6.0 innings for Fordham, and Amanda Herr, who handled the first 4.1 frames for the Hawks, walked a joint nine batters while giving up just one earned run overall on seven total hits.

The fifth inning saw both offenses come alive, starting with Saint Joseph's pushing across two runs primarily due to the efforts of Jordan Hinkle, who initially plated one via an RBI single before a fielding error opened the door for the senior to swipe home in the confusion.

Fordham responded with one run apiece in the bottom of the fifth and sixth frames, as a Julia Martine double and Sarah Taffet triple managed to knot the game back at two. The seventh began with a Rachel Hubertus single and successive sac bunt over into scoring position, setting up Carey for the eventual walk-off RBI single.