Box Score Feb. 20, 2010
Box Score
Newport News, Va. -
Moving the Lancer Invitational to Newport News, Va., close to two hours away from where the tournament was supposed to be, one would have thought it was anything but a "perfect" scenario for the Fordham softball opener. Sophomore Jen Mineau however made it perfect as she threw the first seven-inning perfect game in Fordham softball history with a school record 18 strikeouts in a 10-0 win over Morehead State.
It was the second perfect game and third no-hitter of Mineau's career, while the 18 strikeouts broke the school record of 14, set by Sara Kinney in 2007. Overall, it was the third perfect game in team history and fourth no-hitter.
Mineau (1-0) struck out the first seven batters she saw, before Anna Sommer fouled out to Jamie LaBovick at first in the bottom of the third inning.
The only other two balls to be put in play was a ground out to third by Bianca Cardenas in the fifth inning and a ground out to shortstop by Courtney Seiler in the sixth.
Mineau got plenty of support from the Rams' offense, as Fordham scored three runs in the first, fourth, and seventh innings, as well as a single run in the sixth.
The Rams jumped on Morehead State immediately in the first, as Lindsey Kay Bright drew a game opening walk, and scored on a triple to right center by Jocelyn Dearborn. Samantha Pellechio then singled home Dearborn to make it 2-0.
One batter later, Beckah Wiggins drove a double to right center, scoring Pellechio from first for a 3-0 edge.
In the fourth, it was
Jessica Richards doing the damage for Fordham, as she hit a three-run home run to left center, the first of her career, scoring LaBovick and
Nicole Callahan, who both reached on singles.
Fordham made it 7-0 in the sixth, as pinch-hitter Jo Krasnisky cracked a solo home run to center, her first of the season.
The Rams capped off the scoring in the seventh with an RBI-single by Pellechio, an RBI-double by Callahan, and a run off a wild pitch with the bases loaded.
Besides Mineau's stellar performance in the circle, Richards was 2-for-3 with a home run, a double, and three RBI, while Pellechio was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI. Callahan and Dearborn also had two hits apiece for Fordham.
As perfect as game one was, Fordham's second game of the day was the exact opposite against Longwood, as the Rams committed four errors in a 4-0 loss to the Lancers.
Longwood struck first in the top of the third inning, as the Lancers loaded the bases and got a sacrifice fly from Brooke Short for a 1-0 lead.
Longwood's Ashley Kramer made it 2-0 in the fourth with a solo home run to center off Fordham starter Chelsea Plimpton.
After the Lancers made it 3-0 with an unearned run in the fifth, Fordham tried to muster up a rally in the sixth, as Dearborn and Pellechio led off the inning with back-to-back singles. Unfortunately, that's where they stayed, as Longwood's Briana Wells got the next three Rams in order to end the threat.
The Lancers capped the scoring in the seventh with an RBI-double by Kramer, scoring Brittany Matthews, who reached on a double.
Plimpton (0-1) took the loss, giving up one earned run on four hits with four strikeouts in three innings, while LaBovick pitched the final four innings, also giving up one earned run on four hits with six strikeouts.
At the plate, the Rams managed just three hits, two by Pellechio and one by Dearborn.
The Fordham softball team will wrap up play at the Lancer Invitational on Sunday, February 20th, when they play Morehead State at 9:00 AM and Quinnipiac at 1:00 PM in Newport News, Va.
