May 7, 2010

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BRONX, N.Y. - Fordham will host the St. Bonaventure Bonnies on Sunday, May 9 for the final game of the season before the Atlantic 10 tournament starts on Wednesday, May 12. At Sunday's game, the Rams will honor their lone senior, Erin Fisher, and the seniors of St. Bonaventure in a special presentation in between the games. First pitch of the doubleheader is slated for noon at the Bahoshy Softball Complex.

The Rams (43-8, 14-2) are looking to win at least one of the two games to secure a first round bye in the upcoming A-10 Championships. The Bonnies (11-25, 5-9) will be coming off a two-game series at La Salle (Friday and Saturday) and are hoping to win out in order to get into the tournament. St. Bonaventure is eighth in the league before this weekend's contests.

Fordham is looking to defend its current win streak of 17 games, the third highest in Division I this season. After last weekend's double shutout sweep of Charlotte, the Rams moved up to No. 31 on the RPI rankings.

On Wednesday, Fordham defeated local foe Iona, 6-1. The home run in the seventh inning ended the Rams' 48-inning scoreless streak. St. Bonaventure is coming off a 5-4 loss at Niagara (May 4). The Bonnies have not won an Atlantic 10 series this season.

SCOUTING THE BONNIES
St. Bonaventure will be playing two games on the road at La Salle prior to the Sunday doubleheader at Fordham. Prior to this weekend's four-game road swing, the Bonnies are eighth in the league with only six teams making the Atlantic 10 Championships that start May 12.

St. Bonaventure's games against UMass were canceled in mid-April. The Bonnies have split games with all the rest of the teams except Charlotte and Temple. Both the 49ers and the Owls swept the Bonnies.

Prior to the La Salle and Fordham series, the Bonnies are coming off a non-conference loss at Niagara on May 4. The Purple Eagles won 5-4. The Bonnies led 2-1, through three innings. Niagara scored four runs in the fourth inning, enough to widen the gap and the Bonnies couldn't catch up.

For the Bonnies, of the starters, Jessenia Andujar leads the team in batting with an average of .265. Andujar has a team high 27 hits. The team's RBI leader is Brooke Frey. Frey has started 32 of the 35 games, has a .287 batting average and 26 RBI to her 27 hits. She is also the team's home runs leader with seven.

The Bonnies have a three-person pitching staff, led by Sherri Thompson with a 3.48 ERA and an 8-12 record. Thompson has shut out two opponents and has a season total of 126. Erin Nargi has seen the second-most time in the circle with a 2-11 record and 7.11 ERA.

RAMS VS. BONNIES - THE SERIES
Fordham and St. Bonaventure have a series history dating back to 1996 when Fordham joined the Atlantic 10. The Rams and Bonnies are tied in their all-time series history with 16 games each. St. Bonaventure won all but one game from 1996 through 2001. Fordham won six-straight games from 2004-06. Although St. Bonaventure won the three-game series in 2008, but Fordham won when it mattered in the Atlantic 10 tournament. Fordham has won each of the four games they played in A-10 tournament meetings.

The Rams and Bonnies split the games in 2009.

WHEN LAST THEY MET
The Rams and Bonnies last met on April 9, 2009, in a doubleheader in St. Bonaventure. Fordham and St. Bonaventure split the doubleheader with the Bonnies winning the opener 2-1 and the Rams winning the nightcap, 10-4.

In game one, St. Bonaventure's Stephanie Narde's two-run double in the bottom of the sixth was the difference as the Bonnies captured a 2-1 win over the Rams.

The Rams' offense finally got things rolling in the top of the third in game two, exploding for seven runs on eight hits. Jo Krasnisky hit a double to right center to lead off. Melissa Andrews then loaded the bases with an infield single to third. Lindsey Kay Bright's hit to leftfield scored Krasnisky. Mary Beth Puccio sent in a run and Andrews scored on a wild pitch to give Fordham a 3-2 lead.

Two doubles and two singles by the Rams capped off scoring for a 7-2 lead.

The Rams made it 10-2 in the top of the fifth inning. As Samantha Pellechio doubled, Meghan Shager singled to right to score her. Sarah Campbell singled through the left side at the end of the inning to score runners on second and third.

LAST TIME OUT
The Fordham softball team defeated the Iona Gaels for the second time in as many weeks as the Rams won 6-1 at home at the Bahoshy Softball Complex on Wednesday. Senior Erin Fisher hit her 14th home run of the season with a three-run rip in the bottom of the fifth inning that tied Katie Davis' single-season home run record from 2005.

The victory also marked the most wins in a season for career of ninth year head coach Bridget Orchard. In 2001, Orchard had a 42-win season with Cabrini College. The Cavaliers went 42-5 that season and Orchard was named the Division III East Regional Coach of the Year.

For the Rams, junior hurler Chelsea Plimpton earned the win, as she advanced her record to 10-2 on the season. Plimpton allowed just three hits and struck out eight. With 22 career victories, Plimpton ties with Michelle Schlichtig (2002-03) for fourth all-time.

With the three runs scoring on the home run, Fisher recorded RBI No. 143 for her career, making her two RBIs away from the career record set by Allison Twarowski (2004-08). The senior has 33 career homers, also two home runs shy of tying Davis' career record of 35. Fishers' homer also gives the Rams their 52nd of the season. The team is one away from tying the team single-season home run record of 53, set by the 2006 Fordham squad.

Fordham led 6-0 until the final inning when Iona's Eileen McCann led off with a home run over the centerfield fence, robbing Plimpton of the shutout. McCann's homer ended Fordham's scoreless streak at 48 innings. The streak lasted the span of eight games (April 18 - May 5). The homer would be Iona's final hit of the game as Plimpton struck out the next batter, and both Fisher and Jessica Richards made plays in the outfield.

The Rams scored first with two runs in the first inning, one in the fourth inning and Fisher had her three-run homer in the fifth.

FISHER & MINEAU BOTH HONORED AS ONE OF FORDHAM'S ELITE
Senior Erin Fisher and sophomore Jen Mineau both received awards at the 76th annual Block F Awards Dinner, held at the Villa Barone Manor on Thursday, May 6. Mineau, was the co-winner of the Claire and Jack Hobbs Female Athlete of the Year Award as well as the softball team's MVP award. The Claire and Jack Hobbs Award is named in honor of the late Claire and Jack Hobbs. Jack was a 1938 graduate of Fordham College and a 1941 graduate of Fordham Law, and he and his wife were avid Fordham followers. Fisher won the Terence O'Donnell Award for sportsmanship and dedication. The award is presented to the Fordham athlete who best exemplifies the qualities of sportsmanship, loyalty, dedication and self-discipline. The award is in memory of Terry O'Donnell, a 1955 graduate who died in a military plane crash shortly after graduation.

THREE RAMS NAMED TO COSIDA/ESPN THE MAGAZINE ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT TEAM
On May 6, the all-district teams for the 2010 COSIDA/ESPN The Magazine were selected by the Academic All-America® Committee. Senior Erin Fisher, junior Beckah Wiggins and sophomore Jen Mineau were all selected to the First Team in the University Division in District 1. With the first team selection, Fisher, Wiggins and Mineau are all entered into the national ballot.

Fisher, Wiggins and Mineau all record GPA's over a 3.30. Fisher boasts a GPA of 3.31 in human resource management, Wiggins a 3.50 in business administration, and Mineau a 3.66 in visual arts.

Each district selected two pitchers, a catcher, four infielders, three outfielders and a designated player.

ON DECK
Fordham will head to Amherst, Mass., for the 2010 Atlantic 10 Championships. Winning one of the two games against St. Bonaventure will secure the Rams a first-round bye in the tournament. The tournament starts on Wednesday, May 12 and goes through Saturday, May 15. Live stats, video and photo galleries will be available on the Atlantic10.org.