Box Score Feb. 15, 2008
Box Score
Starkville, Miss. -
One thing is certain with the Fordham softball Rams. The offense is ahead of the pitching.
Fordham opened the 2008 season at the 2008 Bulldog Round Robin at the Mississippi State University. The Rams kicked off the tournament with a 12-8 loss in nine innings to Southern Illinois (6-0) and then came back to post as 12-7 win over Wright State (0-1).
In game one, Southern Illinois' Alicia Garza was 3-for-5 with a grand slam and six RBI, while Chelsea Petty had two hits and three RBI, as the Salukis outlasted Fordham, 12-8, in extra innings.
The Rams collected 30 hits over the two games, 18 in the win over Wright State. Jocelyn Dearborn led the way for et Rams with five hits and four RBI in the two games while Melissa Andrews, Mary Beth Puccio and Allison Twarowski each had four hits.
In the Southern Illinois game, Fordham got on the board in the first inning as Puccio doubled to left center with two outs. After advancing to third on an illegal pitch, Jocelyn Dearborn singled to left to score Puccio.
Southern Illinois tied the game in the top of the fourth inning. With one out, Alicia Garza singled to right, and was sacrificed to second. Garza then scored on an RBI-single by Chelsea Petty.
Fordham recaptured the lead in the bottom half of the fourth. Puccio started the inning with an infield single, and was pinch run for by Stephanie Mott. After a strikeout, Mott stole second, and was singled home by Allison Storc.
Southern Illinois then put five runs on the board in the top of the fifth to grab a 6-2 lead, highlighted by a grand slam home run by Garza.
The scored stayed at 6-2 until the bottom of the seventh, where the Rams put four runs on the board to force extra innings. Storc opened the inning with a single. After a strikeout, Megan Waldron reached on an infield single, with Storc moving to third on a throwing error. Sarah Campbell followed with an infield single toward second, scoring Storc and moving Waldron to second. Melissa Andrews reached on another infield single, but a throwing error by the first baseman allowed Waldron to score and Campbell to go to third. Twarowski then doubled down the left field line to score Campbell and move Andrews to third. Puccio followed with a line out to first, bringing Dearborn to the plate with two outs. Dearborn beat out an infield single to score Andrews and tie the game at six.
With the international tie-breaker rule in effect in extra innings, Southern Illinois was unable to score Garza from second in the top of the eighth, as Nicole Ayres got two ground outs and a strikeout of pinch hitter Cristina Trapani. Fordham was also unable to score in the eighth as Erin Fisher was put on second, moved to third on an illegal pitch, but got caught in a rundown on a ground ball by Jessica Weckenman.
The missed opportunity came back to bite the Rams, as Southern Illinois scored six times in the ninth to take a 12-6 lead. The Salukis got an RBI-double from Becky Wegmann, a two-run single by Garza, an RBI-single from Katie Wilson and a two-run double from Petty in the top half of the inning.
Fordham scratched two runs across in the bottom of the ninth on an RBI-groundout by Andrews and an RBI-single by Puccio, falling by a final count of 12-8.
For Fordham, Puccio was 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI, while Dearborn was 2-for-5 with two RBI. Storc and Sarah Campbell also finished with two hits and an RBI in the game.
Ayres (0-1) took the loss, allowing 10 runs on 11 hits with six strikeouts, while Beckah Wiggins allowed one hit in three innings of work.
In game two, Twarowski and Dearborn each collected three hits while Fisher had a home run and drove in three to lead the Rams to a 12-7 win over Wright State.
Like game one, Fordham struck first, as Andrews opened the game with a single and stole second. Twarowski followed with an RBI-single to give Fordham a 1-0 lead. Twarowski then stole second, and moved to third on a groundout where she scored on a Dearborn infield single.
Wright State answered back in the bottom of the first, picking up two runs on one hit and an error. With runners at first and second with no outs, Jherica Williams fouled out to right, but an over throw by Dearborn, allowed Jamie Perkins to score. One batter later, Kristen Bradshaw singled home Mollie Berry.
Wright State then took a 4-2 lead in the second, as Ashleigh Jackson led off the inning with a solo home run to left. Two outs later, Perkins doubled and scored on a single by Berry.
Fordham tied the game at four with a pair in the top of the third. Twarowski opened the frame with an infield single and moved to second on a groundout. After another groundout, Storc singled down the left field line to score Twarowski, and advanced to second on the throw home. Storc then moved to third on a passed ball and scored on an RBI-single by Fisher.
Wright State regained a 6-4 lead in the bottom of the fourth. With one out, Berry started the rally with a single, followed by another single by Williams. After a groundout advanced the runners, Allison Cox ripped a two-run single to right center for the two-run lead.
Fordham again responded in the top of the fifth, scoring four runs to take an 8-6 lead. With a runner on first and two outs, Fisher tied the game at six with a two-run home run to left center, her first of the year. The Rams then loaded the bases on a single by Samantha Pellechio, a walk to Weckenman, and an infield single by Campbell. Andrews then ripped a two-run single to center, scoring Pellechio and Weckenman.
The Raiders made it a one-run game with a run in the bottom of the sixth but the Rams put the game away with a four-run seventh, highlighted by a two-run single from Puccio.
Ayres and Andrews opened the Fordham seventh with back-to-back singles, putting runners on first and second. Twarowski then reached on an infield single and moved to second on an error with Ayres scoring on the play and Andrews taking third. Puccio delivered both runners with a single to left, taking second on the throw home where she scored on a Dearborn single.
Ayres then struck out the side in the bottom of the seventh to close out the game and pick up the win. She threw three innings of four-hit ball, allowing one unearned run while striking out four.
The Rams will continue play at the 2008 Bulldog Round Robin on Saturday by taking on Southern Illinois at 1:00 p.m. (EST) and Mississippi State at 3:00 p.m. (EST).
