Box Score March 28, 2010
Box Score
DAYTON, Ohio -
Two more Fordham records were broken on Sunday as junior Beckah Wiggins (Conklin, N.Y./Susquehanna Valley) knocked out of the park three homers, including her second grandslam this week to break the two homerun per game record held by 12 previous Rams, including herself. Sophomore Jen Mineau (Schaghticoke, N.Y./Hoosic Valley Central) broke the strikeouts in a game record with 19, in the first game against the Dayton Flyers on Sunday in Dayton, Ohio. Fordham defeated Dayton 11-0 in six innings in game one and 12-3 in game two against the Flyers at the UD Softball Complex in the opening weekend of Atlantic 10 action.
Mineau pitched a one-hitter against Dayton in game one, striking out the side twice. In the doubleheader, Wiggins tallied nine RBI, with three homers. The junior went 2-for-3 in the second game and 3-for-4 in the first game with three homers and eight RBI. Fordham had six homeruns in the two-game victory. In the second game, senior Erin Fisher (Woodinville, Wash./Woodinville) led the Rams with four RBI.
In game two, Fordham tallied 10 runs off 11 hits. Mineau (17-3) started the game for the Rams, pitching four innings for seven strikeouts and no runs scored. Junior Chelsea Plimpton (East Amherst, N.Y./Williamsville South (St. John's)) came for a one-inning relief. Rookie Jamie LaBovick (Peoria, Ariz./Sunrise Mountain) finished the game with seven strikeouts.
Mineau allowed just three hits and tallied 21 strikeouts and earned the win in both games. With the wins, Fordham advances to 23-6 overall, 2-0 in the league. Dayton drops to 11-14 overall and is 2-2 in A-10 play after winning two against La Salle on Saturday.
Fordham 11, Dayton 0 (6)
The Rams scored early as they jumped out to a 3-0 lead. Junior Jocelyn Dearborn (New Milford, Pa./Blue Ridge) started things right with a lead off homer.
Sophomore Lindsey Kay Bright (Federal Way, Wash./Decatur) bunted down the first base line for a single. LaBovick got out with a lineout to the Flyers' thirdbaseman with Bright being picked off on the play at first base. Fisher started her day with a single to left field to get on base. Fisher stole second with Wiggins at bat, but the move to scoring position was unnecessary as Wiggins sent her first of three home runs deep over the fence for two RBI.
Mineau struck out five through two innings and put down the side in the third to keep Dayton from answering back.
Fordham added one more run in the fourth inning as sophomore Jessica Richards (Trabuco Canyon, Calif./Mission Viejo) doubled to centerfield to score rookie Jessica Crowley (Suffern, N.Y./Suffern) who came in to pinch run for junior Samantha Pellechio (Lebanon, N.J./North Hunterdon).
Mineau struck out four batters for each out of the inning, but the second batter, Anne Maci, reached first after her strikeout on a wild pitch. Not to be disgruntled, Mineau just added two more strikeouts to her tally, shutting down Lauren Nacke and Brandy Brown to end the inning and keep Fordham with the 4-0 lead.
In the fifth inning, the Rams' bats began to move LaBovick led off with a double to left field. Fisher doubled to left center to score LaBovick and was sent in by Wiggins with her second two-run homer in five innings. Fordham's three runs scored in the fifth gave the Rams a 7-0 lead.
Staying true to form Mineau struck out all three batters, all who went down swinging.
With two outs and bases loaded in the sixth inning, Wiggins hit her third homerun of the game, and second grandslam of the week, to score LaBovick, Bright and Dearborn four the 11-0 Fordham lead.
Despite three strikeouts for three outs in the bottom of the sixth, Megan Barret reached first on a passed ball on the last swinging strike. Maci singled for the Flyers' only hit of the game, but Mineau struck out Brown for the mercy-rule win and shutout.
Fordham 4, Dayton 0
The Rams took a 1-0 lead in the first inning after Bright crossed the plate on a bases loaded walk by Wiggins. Still with bases loaded, LaBovick scored as rookie Chelsea Palumbo (Tabernacle, N.J./Seneca) was hit by a pitch to advance the runners.
Fordham put two more on the board in the second inning as Dearborn doubled to right field to score catcher Meghan Shager (Conklin, N.Y./Susquehanna Valley), who led off the inning with a double to right field. Dearborn scored on Fisher's at bat as Fisher reached first on an error by the thirdbaseman.
In the fourth inning, Fisher hit a three-run homer to score LaBovick and Bright and give the Rams a 7-0 lead.
The Flyers finally got on the board in the fifth inning with a two-run homerun from Courtney Kutsulis with no outs. The Rams got out of the inning without any more runs from the Flyers.
In the sixth, with two outs once again, Wiggins singled up the middle then stole second. Wiggins singled up the middle to advance Fisher to third then stole second on the next at bat. Pellechio tallied to RBI as she doubled to right field to score Fisher and Wiggins as Fordham took a 9-2 lead.
Dayton answered back with another run in the bottom of the sixth as Maci led off with a double to left center. Brown singled to right center to score Maci. Fordham defended their five-run lead margin with a double play from LaBovick. Nacke hit to LaBovick for the lineout, and LaBovick threw out the runner at first.
Dearborn homered in the top of the seventh with two outs and no one on to give the Rams their final run of the ballgame, 10-3.
LaBovick struck out the two swinging, then the final Dayton batter grounded out to Pellechio at shortstop for the Fordham victory.
Next up, Fordham will return home to host St. John's in a mid-week, non-conference matchup. The Rams and Red Storm will face each other in the battle of the boroughs on Wednesday, March 31. The doubleheader begins at 4 p.m. at the Bahoshy Softball Complex on Murphy Field.
