Box Score April 22, 2008
Box Score
Hamden, Conn. -
Two stellar pitching performances were on-hand for the Fordham Rams at Quinnipiac on Tuesday. In game one, Nicole Ayres struck out a career-high 13 batters in a 3-1 win, while Beckah Wiggins threw a six-hit shutout with eight strikeouts in an 8-0 victory.
With the sweep, Fordham improves to 27-22 on the year, while Quinnipiac drop to 18-32.
In game one, Fordham quickly jumped out to a 2-0 lead as Allison Twarowski led off with a double, and scored on a two-run home run by Mary Beth Puccio, her fifth of the season.
Quinnipiac looked to get on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second, as they loaded the bases with no outs. Fordham starter Nicole Ayres then proceeded to strike out the next three batters to quickly end the threat.
Fordham made it 3-0 in the top of the third inning, as Melissa Andrews started the inning with a single and stole second. After moving to third on a ground out, Jocelyn Dearborn lined a shot off the pitcher for a single, scoring Andrews.
The Bobcats then cracked the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth with the help of three Fordham errors in the inning. With runners at first and second on two errors, Kristin Sheriff advanced to third on a wild pitch, and then scored on a throwing error.
That was all the offense Quinnipiac could muster against Ayres as she finished with a career-high 13 strikeouts in the game, just one shy of the Fordham single game record. She improved to 8-8 on the season, allowing just one unearned run on four hits. At the plate, Fordham scattered eight hits in the game, led by Twarowski, who was 2-for-4 with a run scored.
In game two, the game was scoreless until the top of the fifth, where Fordham plated the first run of the game. Twarowski started the inning with a single, but was forced on a fielder's choice by Andrews. Andrews was then able to reach third on a wild pitch. Puccio and Andrews then pulled off the squeeze play bunt, scoring Andrews from third.
Quinnipiac almost came right back to score, loading the bases with two outs in the bottom of the fifth, but Fordham escaped with no damage, as the Quinnipiac clean-up hitter flew out to Dearborn in right.
Fordham then exploded for seven runs in the top of the seventh to go up 8-0 in the game, all with two outs. Andrews started the rally with a walk and stole second, her 17th of the season. Puccio then hit an RBI-single to right, scoring Andrews. Dearborn then kicked up the chalk on the left field line for an RBI-triple, scoring Puccio, and would later score on a single by Samantha Pellechio.
Sarah Campbell then pinch ran for Pellechio and moved third after walks to Megan Waldron and Erin Fisher. Beckah Wiggins then helped her own cause with a two-run double to left, scoring Campbell and Waldron. After Fisher scored on a wild pitch, Meghan Shager capped the inning with an RBI-single to score Wiggins.
Wiggins (11-8) completed her second shutout of the season, scattering six hits over seven innings, while striking out eight. At the plate, Dearborn was 3-for-4 with an RBI-triple, while Puccio was 2-for-3 with two RBI. Pellechio and Shager also had two hits apiece for the Rams.
The Fordham softball team will next be in action on Wednesday, April 23rd, as they host Marist College for a doubleheader, beginning at 4:00 PM.
