COLLEGE PARK, Md. - (May 21, 2010) - Fordham tallied their first-ever NCAA Regional win as the Rams, the No. 2 seed in the College Park Regional, sent Maryland, the No. 3 seed, to the loser's game with a 2-1 victory over the Terps, Friday night at the Robert E. Taylor Stadium. Junior Samantha Pellechio (Lebanon, N.J./North Hunterdon) hit the eventual game-winning RBI-double in the bottom of the sixth-inning to give Fordham the go-ahead run.
The Rams victory was the first-ever NCAA win for a Fordham women's team. It was also the first NCAA win since the football team defeated Northeastern in the 2002 Division I-AA playoffs.
With the win, Fordham advances to 48-10 on the season and will faced the top seed in the region, and the overall No. 14-seed, Oklahoma. The Rams will be the home team in tomorrow's winner's bracket game which will begin at noon on Saturday.
With the loss, Maryland falls to 33-23 and will face Syracuse in the 2 p.m. game on Saturday after the Orange lost 10-0 in five innings to Oklahoma in the opening game on Friday.
Sophomore Jen Mineau (Schaghticoke, N.Y./Hoosic Valley Central) tallied the win for the Rams with 12 strikeouts, eight swinging. Her record advances to 33-7. For the Terps, Kerry Hickey started in the circle and went through 3.1 innings. Kendra Knight tallied the loss for Maryland, going 2.2 innings. Knight's record fell to 13-12.
Jocelyn Dearborn cranks a solo home run to left.
Maryland took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning. Leftfielder Vangie Galindo got on base with a bunt single. Galindo scored on Hickey's single to right field.
Fordham finally got their offense moving as Jocelyn Dearborn (New Milford, Pa./Blue Ridge) led off the inning with a bomb over the left field fence to even the score at one run each.
Earlier in the fourth, the Rams kept the Terps at one run, despite a bases loaded situation down the stretch. Mineau stuck out Hickey but walked the next batter. Nadine Blackie got to first base after she single to Dearborn at third and bowled into Jamie LaBovick (Peoria, Ariz./Sunrise Mountain) at first base. Blackie made it to second on the dead play and Hickey advanced to third. Mineau took down Lexi Carroll swinging for two outs, but walked the next batter to load the bases with Terps. Mineau got herself out of the inning, as Kathy McLaughlin was called for the strikeout. Despite the loaded bases, Fordham allowed no runs by the Terps, leaving Maryland with a one run lead.
Leading off the sixth inning after getting bowled over in the fourth, LaBovick got things started once again for the Rams as she hit single to left center. Pellechio sent a double to the right field wall sending LaBovick in to home plate for the go-ahead run and Fordham took a 2-1 lead over Maryland.
The Fordham defense went to work in final two innings, holding Maryland to just one base runner. Mineau had four strikeouts down the stretch, including the final out of the game.
Earlier in the game, Dearborn and LaBovick connected for a double play to end the second inning as Dearborn picked off a pop fly by the plate and quickly tossed to LaBovick to quickly get out of any repeat from the first inning.
Dearborn, Pellechio and LaBovick were the only Fordham batters to get hits for the Rams. Dearborn was 1-for-3, LaBovick was 1-for-2, Pellechio was 1-for-3.
The Terps had seven hits spread over seven batters. Hickey had the lone RBI, while Galindo scored the only run.
Up next, Fordham will play Oklahoma at noon on Saturday. Maryland will face Syracuse in the 2 p.m. game. The loser from the first game will play the winner of the second at 4 p.m.
Gallery: (5-13-2020) 2010 NCAA Softball vs. Maryland
