Box Score March 6, 2010
Box Score
Clearwater, Fla. - For the second straight day, the arm of Jen Mineau propelled the Fordham softball team to a pair of victories at the USF Under Armour Invitational. Mineau started the first game and then came back to close it as the Rams scored four times in the eighth to break a 4-4 tie and beat Central Michigan, 8-4, while she threw a complete game, two-hitter, in the second game, striking out 16, as the Rams defeated Memphis, 2-1.
With the wins, the Rams advance to 10-3 on the season.
The Rams jumped out to a 3-0 lead on Central Michigan in the first game as Jocelyn Dearborn led off with a walk and stole second. She moved to third on a ground out and then scored on a double off the bat of Jamie LaBovick. A double from Erin Fisher then plated LaBovick and Nicole Callahan followed with the third straight double of the inning for Fordham, scoring Fisher. But Central Michigan pitcher Sarah Patterson struck out the next two Fordham hitters to end the inning.
The Chippawas made it a 3-2 game with a pair of runs in the second on a two-run Jill Schulz home run off Mineau.
Fordham extended the lead to 4-2 in the top of the third on an Erin Fisher solo home run, her team-leading third of the year.
But Central Michigan scored twice in the bottom of the fourth to knot the game at four. With one out, Amanda Patrick doubled off Fordham pitcher Chelsea Plimpton, who came on in relief of Mineau. One out later, Schulz singled to score pinch runner Amber Olejniczak and Schulz came around to score when the next batter, Ashley Gilson, doubled down the right field line.
In the top of the eighth, Dearborn was placed on second per the tie-breaking rules. Lindsey Kay Bright sacrificed her to third where she scored on a LaBovick double. After Fisher was intentionally walked, LaBovick stole third and scored on a Callahan infield single which sent Fisher to third. Beckah Wiggins followed with an infield single to plate Fisher and move pinch runner Jessica Crowley to second. After the two runners pulled off a double steal with Wiggins advancing to third and Crowley to second, Richards grounded out to deliver Wiggins with the fourth run of the inning.
In the bottom of the eighth, with a runner on second, Mineau got Katie Greenman to ground out, Molly Coldren to strike out and Patrick to pop out to end the game.
Fisher was a perfect 3-for-3 for the Rams in game one with three runs and two RBI while LaBovick, Wiggins and Callahan were each 2-for-4 with LaBovick and Wiggins driving in a pair of runs.
In the second game, the Rams threatened in the first inning as Dearborn led off with a single and stole second. Bright then sacrificed her to third but LaBovick grounded out and Fisher struck out to end the threat.
Fordham got on the board in the bottom of the third when Bright singled with two outs and took second when LaBovick walked. After the runners advanced a base on a passed ball both runners scored when Fisher looped a single into right field.
Mineau cruised through the first six innings, allowing just one hit while striking out 14. But with one out in the seventh, she saw her shutout bid broken up by Leigh Rowan's solo home run. But Mineau got Maddie McKinley to line out and struck out Keanah Prestridge, her 16th strike out of the game, to end the contest.
With the wins, Mineau improves to 9-1 on the year for Fordham.
Bright and Wiggins each collected a pair of hits for the Rams in the Memphis game.
The Rams will close out play at the USF Under Armour Invitational on Sunday as they face Ball State at 9:00 AM.
