April 3, 2010
Fordham-Massachusetts Game Notes 
Game 1: Watch | Listen WFUV.org | GameTracker 
Game 2: Watch | Listen WFUV.org | GameTracker
BRONX, N.Y. - On Saturday, the Fordham softball team will face University of Massachusetts in a nitty gritty battle between the two top teams in the Atlantic 10. Both teams are ranked in the top 30 in all three polls and both squads are undefeated in conference play so far.
The A-10 powerhorses will faceoff in a doubleheader starting at noon on Saturday, April 3 at the Bahoshy Softball Complex at Murphy Field.
Fordham is capping off a 3-0 week, where the Rams defeated St. John's, 3-0, in a 10-inning duel on Wednesday and took two from Rhode Island in league play on Thursday, outscoring the Rhody Rams, 11-1 in an A-10 sweep. The five-game home stand is the first week of an 11-game set.
Fordham is riding a eight-game winning streak, the longest of the season.
The Minutewomen, ranked No. 23 in the NFCA/USA Today Poll swept La Salle on Thursday, 8-1, 10-0, amassing five homers on the road in Philadelphia. The trip to the Bronx is the second road doubleheader for the week. Their Tuesday game against Dartmouth was rained out.
Fordham fans can follow the game live via FordhamSports.com with GameTracker live stats, Webcast and radio broadcast by Martin de Jong (play-by-play) and Chris Hilk (producer) of Fordham's own WFUV Radio. Audio only can be accessed on WFUV.org.
SCOUTING THE MINUTEWOMEN
Massachusetts is 19-7 overall and 4-0 in the Atlantic 10. The Minutewomen are currently riding a four-game win streak over conference opponents, sweeping both the George Washington Colonials, 17-0 (5 innings), 11-0 (5 innings) on March 28 and La Salle, 8-1, 10-0 (5 innings) on April 1.
Against La Salle, the Minutewomen tallied five home runs. Junior catcher Meghan Carta hit a homer in each of the games and Carly Normandin hit for a grandslam in the second game. Pitchers Sara Plourde and Bailey Sanders combined to hold the Explorers to one run and four hits on the day.
A sophomore, Plourde is 18-5 and started both games at La Salle. Plourde is second in the country in strikeouts, comparing to Fordham's starting sophomore hurler, Jen Mineau, who is ranked third statistically. Against GW, Plourde and Sanders combined to pitch a perfect game in the 17-0, game one victory.
At the plate, Normandin leads the Minutewomen with a .467 batting average, with 21 hits for 11 runs, four doubles and four RBI. (Stats prior to the La Salle doubleheader). Sarah Reeves is UMass' RBI-leader with 19, off 22 hits. Kyllie Magill has the most hits for UMass with 27.
Plourde is the Minutewomen's go-to ace in the circle. She's appeared in 22 games, pitched 137.0 innings with six shutouts, 251 strikeouts and an ERA of 1.12. She is backed by Baily Sanders who's seen time at the circle only eight times this season so far, for 18 strikeouts.
Throughout the season, UMass has been ranked or receiving votes in both polls. The Minutewomen were ranked No. 20 in the preseason NFCA/USA Today poll and got as high as 18th in the first week of play but have been up and down since then. Currently, they are No. 23, while Fordham is just five spots out of the top 25.
Against common opponents, the Minutewomen also lost to the San Diego State Aztecs, 2-1 on March 18 at the San Diego Classic II. UMass lost to Texas A&M, 1-0 (9 innings) on March 20, while Fordham defeated the Aggies 4-0 on Feb. 25. At the time, the Aggies were ranked No. 19/24 in the polls. A common victory for the two A-10 rivals is against Oregon State. The Minutewomen won 6-1 on March 20, while the Rams defeated the Ducks 3-2 on Feb. 26.
RAMS VS. MINUTEWOMEN - THE SERIES
The series between the Rams and the Minutewomen has been dominated by a 37-3 UMass lead.
Since starting Atlantic 10 play in 1996, UMass held a 23-0 jump on Fordham until 2005, when Fordham got their first win, 4-2 at home against their foes from New England. The Rams swept the series, winning the second game 14-6 in six innings.
Fordham and UMass see each other during the season and in the post season. The Minutewomen are 9-0 in Atlantic 10 Tournament play over the Rams.
Last season, Fordham defeated UMass on their homefield, in a 5-4 upset victory over the then-No. 24/19 Minutewomen, for the Rams' second-ever victory over a ranked opponent.
WHEN LAST THEY MET
The last time these two teams saw each other was on May 7, 2009 in the second round of the 2009 Atlantic 10 Championships, held in the Bronx at the Bahoshy Softball Complex. Fordham faced Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year, Brandice Balschmiter, collecting four hits and a run, but came up short on the 5-1 UMass victory. With the loss, Fordham moved to the loser's bracket, where they faced St. Joseph's and lost 7-3, ending the Rams' stint in the postseason.
Chelsea Plimpton was in the circle for the Rams, allowing just six hits. Unfortunately, three of the six were home runs. The Minutewomen took a 4-0 lead through the fifth inning. The Rams picked up their lone run of the ballgame as Mary Beth Puccio batted in Melissa Andrews with a single to left field. Andrews had reached on a fielder's choice and moved to scoring position on a walk from Lindsey Kay Bright.
Beckah Wiggins went 2-for-4.
The Rams went 1-2 against the Minutewomen in 2009.
FORDHAM IN THE ATLANTIC 10
So far this season, Fordham is 4-0 against conference opponents, sweeping both Dayton and Rhode Island. At Dayton on March 28, junior Beckah Wiggins knocked out of the park three homers, including her second grandslam of the week to break Fordham's single game home run record of two, held by 12 previous Rams, including herself. Sohomore Jen Mineau broke the strikeouts in a game record with 19 and the Rams defeated the Flyers, 11-0 in six innings in the first game and 12-3 in game two. Fordham also took two from Rhode Island, 8-1, 3-0 on Thursday, April 1.
Both Fordham and UMass are undefeated in conference play this season in just the second weekend of play. Neither team has played a common A-10 opponent.
ON DECK
The Rams will be back in action for their sixth-straight home contest with a doubleheader against local Bronx rival, Manhattan, on Tuesday. First pitch in the non-conference match up is slated for 3 p.m.
