Box Score March 20, 2010
HARRISONBURG, Va. - Fordham softball split Saturday's games at the James Madison/Days Inn Invitational with a 2-1 victory over the Winthrop Eagles and a tough 4-3 10-inning loss to Pittsburgh at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
With 18 strikeouts against Winthrop, sophomore pitcher Jen Mineau (Schaghticoke, N.Y./Hoosic Valley Central) broke Fordham's single season strike out record. Against Pitt, Mineau (14-3) came in for Plimpton in the sixth and tallied nine more strikeouts. Just 24 games into 2010, Mineau has recorded 204 strikeouts, besting Sara Kinney's previous record of 182 in 2007. Against the Eagles, Mineau struck out the side three times, for a season total of 21.
Rookie Chelsea Palumbo (Tabernacle, N.J./Seneca) recorded all three RBI against Pitt with a two-RBI home run and a double. Sophomore Lindsey Kay Bright (Federal Way, Wash./Decatur) was also 2-for-4. Sophomore Nicole Callahan (Freehold, N.J./Feehold Township) was 1-for-3 with a run.
Going into Sunday's final game against host-school James Madison, the Rams are 18-6 overall.
Game 1 - Fordham 2, Winthrop 1
The Rams scored in the first inning, following the same formula as Friday as senior Erin Fisher (Woodinville, Wash./Woodinville) knocked in sophomore Lindsey Kay Bright (Federal Way, Wash./Decatur) with a two-out RBI single down the left field line.
Neither team would score again until the fifth inning. Rookie Jamie Pollak (Chandler, Ariz./Corona del Sol) led off with a single through the right side. Palumbo advanced pinch runner Jessica Crowley (Suffern, N.Y./Suffern) with a sac bunt down to third. Crowley advanced to third base on the following out and scored on catcher Meghan Shager's (Conklin, N.Y./Susquehanna Valley) hit to first base. Shager was safe at first due to a fielding error by the Winthrop firstbaseman.
Mineau retained the six-inning, 2-0 shutout as she struck out the side in the first, third and fifth inning for the Rams.
In the top of the seventh, Winthrop scored one run as catcher Kelly Blea double to left center on the 2-2 pitch to score firstbaseman Taylor Wright. Fordham took down the next three batters as pinch hitter Chelsey Schoenfieldt flied out to sophomore leftfielder Jessica Richards (Trabuco Canyon, Calif./Mission Miejo) and Mineau shut down the last two batters, both swinging for the 2-1 Fordham victory.
Game 2 - Pittsburgh 4, Fordham 3 (10)
Tied at 3-3 from the fifth to the 10th inning, Pittsburgh's junior Ashley Amistade singled down the left field line to score sophomore Niki Cognigni for a game-winning two-out RBI as Pitt defeated Fordham, 4-3.
It was Fordham's first loss in extra innings this season. The Rams are 3-1 in extras.
For the first time over the course of the tournament, the opposing team scored first. Pitt scored two runs in the first inning, both unearned.
Fordham tied the game in the second inning, once again with clutch hitting. With two outs on the board, Palumbo hit a two-run homer to right field to score Callahan.
The Rams took a one-run lead, 3-2, in the fourth inning, once again with Palumbo and Callahan. Callahan led off with a single to left field and took two bases on a fielding error by the Panthers' leftfielder. Palumbo drove in Callahan with a double to right field but was left on base as the next three Rams got out.
Pitt tied it up with a solo homerun by rookie Holly Stevens in the fifth.
Rookie Jamie LaBovick (Peoria, Ariz./Sunrise) started the game for the Rams. LaBovick allowed just three hits in four innings and allowed two runs. Junior Chelsea Plimpton (East Amherst, N.Y./Williamsville South/St. John's) came in the fifth. Mineau relieved Plimpton in the middle of the fifth to finish the game for the Rams. She tallied nine strikeouts.
Fordham will play against host-school, James Madison University at 11 a.m. on Sunday for the Rams' final game at the James Madison Invitational. In Friday's game against JMU, Fordham defeated the Dukes, 7-0.
