Box Score March 22, 2009
Box Score
Charlotte, N.C. -
Nine of the first 25 Fordham softball games were one-run affairs, with the Rams winning five of the nine. So it was no surprise that the Rams would open their 2009 Atlantic 10 season with a pair of one-run games at Charlotte. Unfortunately for Fordham, the Rams were on the wrong end of the two contests, falling 1-0 in eight innings in the first game, and then 4-3 in the nightcap on Charlotte's 49ers Softball Field. With the losses, Fordham falls to 16-11 overall, 0-2 in the Atlantic 10, while Charlotte improves to 16-6 overall, 3-1 in the conference.
The first game was an old fashioned pitcher's dual between Fordham Jen Mineau and Charlotte's Emily Jeffery. Mineau allowed four hits in the game while Jeffrey was even stingier, allowing just two Fordham hits. But the difference in the game was the final 49ers hit as pinch hitter Alyssa Kemmerer led off the bottom of the eighth with a home run, her first of the year.
The two Fordham hits were a single from Jessica Weckenman in the third and a leadoff single in the fourth by Lindsey Kay Bright. After her single, Bright stole second but two outs later, she was nabbed trying to steal third to end the Fordham threat.
The Rams had only one more base runner after the fourth, that being a two-out walk to Megan Waldron in the eighth.
Mineau struck out three and walked two as she falls to 7-7 on the year.
The Rams made up for their lack of offense in game one with three runs in the first inning of the nightcap, all with two outs. Samantha Pellechio got things started with a two-out single and Erin Fisher followed with a double to score her. Jocelyn Dearborn delivered Fisher with another double and Mary Beth Puccio followed with a single to plate Dearborn.
The 49ers got two runs back in the home half of the first, on just one hit. Sarah Malene led off with a walk and took second on a wild pitch. Malene moved to third on a ground out where she scored on a Serena Smith single. Walks to Cee Brooks and Tenaya Tucker loaded the bases and brought Chelsea Plimpton on to relieve Fordham starter Beckah Wiggins. Plimpton walked the first batter she faced, Keri Palma, to force in a run but she then settled down, getting Jaime West to pop up and striking out Kemmerer to end the inning.
Charlotte took advantage of a Fordham error to knot the game at three in the second as Jenny Rumbles opened the inning reaching on an error and Malene sacrificed her to second. A McCall single moved Rumbles to third where she scored on a Smith sacrifice fly.
The 49ers then took a 4-3 lead with another unearned run as Smith opened the Charlotte fifth with a single but was forced at second on a Brooks fielder's choice. Brooks advanced to second on a passed ball and, one out later, scored on a Palma double.
The Rams got a base runner in each of the final two innings, with Fisher opening the Fordham sixth with a double and moving to third on a fly out. But Puccio and Waldron grounded out to end the threat in the sixth.
In the seventh, Andrews and Bright connected for back-to-back singles with two outs, but Pellechio flied out to end the game.
Andrews, Puccio and Fisher each collected a pair of hits in game two for the Rams while Plimpton was the hard luck loser, allowing three hits and two runs, both unearned, in 5.2 innings.
The Rams will next be in action as they host Quinnipiac for a doubleheader on Wednesday, March 25th at 3:00 p.m. on Bahoshy Field.
