Box Score April 8, 2008
Final Stats
Bronx, N.Y. -
The Fordham bats were alive on Tuesday as the Rams belted out 29 hits in two games in sweeping a softball doubleheader from Fairleigh Dickinson on Bahoshy Field. Fordham won the first game, 12-4, in six innings as Jocelyn Dearborn collected a pair of hits, including a two-run home run, and then took the second, 7-2, behind five-hit pitching from Beckah Wiggins and three-run home runs from Dearborn and Erin Fisher.
With the sweep, the Rams improve to 17-19 on the year while FDU falls to 5-14.
Fordham opened the scoring with three runs in the bottom of the first. Melissa Andrews started the rally with a one-out single, extending her current hitting streak to 11 games, and stole second. Mary Beth Puccio followed with a walk with Andrews taking third on a ball-four wild pitch. After Puccio stole second, Dearborn delivered a two-run single, scoring both runners with Dearborn going to third on the play. Dearborn then scored on a Fairleigh Dickinson error.
The Knights made it 3-1 in the top of the second, as Lindsay Glidden doubled to left with one out, moved to third on an error, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Hope Hilman.
The Rams extended the lead to 7-1 in the bottom of the third inning. Puccio led off with a double to center, and came in to score on a double by Allison Storc. Dearborn followed with a two-run home run to left, her sixth of the season. One out later, Megan Waldron drew a walk, advanced on a wild pitch, and scored on a single by Stephanie Mott.
The Knights cut into the lead with a run in the fourth on an RBI-single by Hilman.
A pair of Fordham runs in the fourth gave the Rams a 9-2 advantage. With one out, Andrews walked, stole second, and scored on a single by Puccio for the first run of the inning. Puccio moved to second on a walk to Storc and then scored on a single by Jessica Weckenman.
The Knights pulled to within 9-4 in the sixth, as Hilman hit a two-run home run to left, her second of the year.
Fordham then invoked the mercy rule with three runs in the sixth to win by a 12-4 margin. The Rams loaded the bases, on walks to Storc and Waldron and a single by Weckenman. A walk to Mott forced in a run and Sarah Campbell then singled to left, scoring Weckenman, with Allison Twarowski closing out the game with a single down the left field line, scoring Waldron.
For Fordham, Dearborn led the way offensively, going 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBI, while Puccio was 2-for-3 with three runs scored. Weckenman and Campbell also had two hits apiece with Mott knocking in two runs. Twarowski (6-5), who allowed just one hit over the first three innings, picked up the win on the mound.
In game two, the Rams exploded for 17 hits, one shy of the team's season-high, en route to the 7-2 win.
FDU took a 2-0 lead with a pair of runs in the third. Maria Finnegan led off the frame with a single and moved to second on a Jessica Klein sacrifice. Walks to Justina Augustine and Brianne Benedict loaded the bases and, one out later, Ali Keltos singled to plate Finnegan and Augustine.
But the Rams came back in the home half of the third, scoring six times with two outs to take a 6-2 lead. With one out in the Fordham third, Andrews singled, extending her hitting streak to 12 games. One out later, Storc singled Andrews to second and Dearborn followed with a blast to left, her second home run of the day and team-leading seventh of the year. Megan Waldron followed with a double and Samantha Pellechio reached on an infield single before Fisher connected on Fordham's second three-run home run of the inning, her third of the year.
The Rams picked up the final run of the game in the fifth when Fisher led off with a double and scored later in the inning on a Storc single.
Wiggins (7-6), who settled down after the two-run third to allow only four base runners over the final four innings, allowed five hits while striking out nine to pick up her team-leading seventh win of the year. At the plate, Pellechio paced the 17-hit attack by going 3-for-4 while Twarowski, Andrews, Storc, Dearborn and Fisher each had two hits.
The Fordham softball team will next be in action on Thursday, April 10th, when they host the Seton Hall Pirates for a doubleheader at 3:00 PM at Bahoshy Field.
