Box Score March 28, 2008
Final Stats
Bronx, N.Y. -
Despite the damp, cold day, the Fordham softball pitchers were hot on Friday, with Allison Twarowski, Beckah Wiggins and Nicole Ayres allowing just seven hits while combining for 17 strikeouts as the Rams swept a doubleheader from Iona College, winning the first game, 2-1, and the nightcap, 9-1, in five innings.
With the wins, the Rams improve to 12-17 overall on the year while Iona falls to 6-16.
The Rams took a 1-0 lead in the second inning of game one when Jocelyn Dearborn connected on her team-leading fifth home run of the year.
The one run appeared to be enough for Twarowski, who allowed just three base runners over the first six innings. After Erin Kyle led off the game with a single and was erased trying to steal second, Twarowski set down eight straight batters before Kyle led off the fourth with her second single of the game. She was sacrificed to second by Mel Gettins but was stranded there as Twarowski struck out Jess Horvath and got Lolli Mills to pop up to end the inning.
The Gaels got to Twarowski in the seventh as Horvath and Mills led off the inning with back-to-back singles, putting runners on first and second. Wiggins came on in relief of Twarowski but her first pitch was a wild pitch, allowing the runners to move up a base. It appeared that Wiggins would get out of trouble as she got Becky Riccitelli to line out to second and struck out Amanda Glaser before Courtney Christie tied the game with a single to center.
But the Rams won the game in the bottom of the seventh when Melissa Andrews led off with a single and stole second. Mary Beth Puccio singled to put two on with no outs and Allison Storc followed with a single through the left side to plate Andrews with the game-winner.
Wiggins (4-5) picked up the win in relief for Fordham while Twarowski allowed four hits and one run over the first six innings, striking out seven.
Game two would be scoreless until the top of the fourth when Iona took a 1-0 lead. Kyle led off the Iona fourth with a single and moved to second on a ground out. Horvath, the next batter, struck out but reached first on a wild pitch, with Kyle taking third on the play and then scoring when the throw from Storc, the Fordham catcher, went into left field.
The Rams answered with three runs in the home half of the inning, highlighted by a Jessica Weckenman two-run triple. Storc led off the frame reaching on an error and Dearborn followed with a single, moving Storc to second. Erin Fisher moved the runners up a base with a sacrifice before Weckenman connected on a triple to center, scoring Storc and Dearborn. Weckenman scored the third run later in the inning on a wild pitch.
Fordham made it a 5-1 game with a pair of runs in the fifth as Andrews led off with a bunt single and Puccio walked. A Storc double to right center plated Andrews and moved Puccio to third before Dearborn delivered Puccio with a sacrifice fly to left.
The Rams then invoked the mercy rule with a four-run sixth, courtesy of a Storc grand slam home run. Samantha Pellechio and Stephanie Mott got the Fordham sixth started with consecutive singles before Pellechio was forced at third on a Twarowski fielder's choice. One out later, Puccio walked to load the bases and Storc followed with her third home run of the year to end the game at 9-1.
Ayres (4-7) threw six innings of two-hit ball, allowing one unearned run while striking out eight to pick up the win. At the plate, Storc was 2-for-4 with the grand slam and five total RBI while Pellechio also collected two hits.
The Rams will next be in action on Sunday, March 30th, as they host Saint Louis University for an Atlantic 10 doubleheader on Bahoshy Field starting at noon.
