Box Score April 10, 2010
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BRONX, N.Y. - The Fordham softball team closed out its two-game series with Saint Louis with a 5-2 victory over the Billikens, a mascot representing good luck, on Saturday at Bahoshy. The Rams scored four of their five runs in the first inning. With the win, Fordham is 30-8 overall and 6-2 in Atlantic 10 play. Saint Louis falls to 18-16 overall and is also 6-2 in league action. Sophomore pitcher Jen Mineau (Schaghticoke, N.Y./Hoosic Valley Central) recorded her 20th victory of the season (20-5) with 10 strikeouts against 24 Billiken batters.
Mineau struck out the side in the third inning for the 30th time this season. Mineau has 310 strikeouts this season, 483 for her career. With the victory, the sophomore recorded her 38th career win. Mineau's total puts her at No. 3 in Fordham's all-time record book. Sara Kinney (2003-07) is the program's win leader with 75. Carol Fischer (2001-05) is second with 42 victories.
Rookie Jamie LaBovick (Peoria, Ariz./Sunrise Mountain) was perfect at the plate, hitting 3-for-3 with an RBI single in the first inning and additional singles in the third and fifth. Senior Erin Fisher (Woodinville, Wash./Woodinville) was 2-for-3, with two doubles, including her hit in the first inning that confused the Billiken outfielders. The senior centerfielder got on base all six out of six times in the two-game series, with three walks on Friday and two hits and a walk on Saturday.
Hannah Huebbe (9-6) recorded the loss for the Billikens.
Fordham scored early, plating four runs in the first inning. With one out, Fisher doubled up the middle. Junior Beckah Wiggins (Conklin, N.Y./Susquehanna Valley) walked to put runners on first and second for LaBovick to hit a single to centerfield which scored Fisher for the Rams' first run of the afternoon. Junior Samantha Pellechio (Lebanon, N.J./North Hunterdon) doubled to center to score Wiggins and advance LaBovick to third. Junior Meghan Shager (Conklin, N.Y./Susquehanna Valley) reached on an error in the outfield as the leftfielder lost the ball in the sun. LaBovick scored on the fly ball, Pellechio moved to third and Shager made it around to second on the play as the Rams took a 3-0 lead. In the designated player position, sophomore Nicole Callahan (Freehold, N.J./Freehold Township) grounded out to the thirdbaseman, but Pellechio saw the opportunity to score on the play. With four runs, two unearned, on three hits and an error, the final Fordham batter struck out. The Rams led 4-0 through one inning of play.
Fordham waited an inning to record its fifth run of the game. With two outs and LaBovick and Shager in scoring position, sophomore Jessica Richards (Trabuco Canyon, Calif/Mission Viejo) singled to left field for an RBI as LaBovick crossed the plate for the second time in three innings. Fordham leftfielder, sophomore Lindsey Kay Bright (Federal Way, Wash./Decatur), who tallied three putouts through seven innings, including a fouled fly ball in the top of the sixth, grounded out to end the third inning. Fordham led 5-0.
Saint Louis tallied their first runs and hits of the ball game in the top of the fifth inning as Kristian Burger hit a walk off double to the fence in right center field. On the 1-0 pitch, Rachel Faletto hit a home run to left center for two RBI. Liz Jones followed the homer with a single down the right field line to put another SLU runner on the bases with no outs on the board. Refocused, the Fordham defense went to work as junior thirdbaseman Jocelyn Dearborn (New Milford, Pa./Blue Ridge) snagged a fouled fly ball outside the third baseline, Laura Bohning struck out swinging away and Shager threw out Jones trying to steal second to end the inning. Through four and a half innings of play, the Billikens cut the Fordham lead to three runs, but the Rams continued to lead 5-2.
In the bottom of the fifth with one out, LaBovick singled to left field to lead off the inning and made it around to third base on Shager's ground out to second base and Callahan's single between the Billiken thirdbaseman and shortstop. LaBovick and Callahan would be left on the corners as Richards grounded out to second.
The Rams defense held the Billikens to zero in the sixth inning as the defense shut down the batters three up, three down. Dearborn assisted Wiggins in an attempted bunt, Bright shagged a foul ball in left and Mineau shut down the last batter with a swinging strikeout.
Fisher hit her second double of the game to left field, with two outs on the board in the bottom of the sixth; but she was left on the bases as Wiggins grounded out to the pitcher.
The Fordham defense finished out the game with a fly out to Bright, who found the ball in the sun, Billiken catcher Nikki Jost got thrown out at second from Bright in leftfield and Mineau closed out the game with a final swinging K.
Up next, Fordham will host Fairleigh Dickinson in a non-conference doubleheader on Wednesday, April 14 for the Rams' final game of the 11-game home stand, where Fordham is 7-2 since March 31. First pitch of the twin bill is scheduled for 3 p.m. at the Bahoshy Softball Complex.
