Box Score March 30, 2011
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Bronx, N.Y. -
The Fordham softball team had its official home opener on Wednesday, March 30 when they took both ends of a doubleheader from the Lehigh Mountain Hawks, 9-1 and 9-0. Both victories, which extended the Rams' winning streak to six straight, were decided in five innings do to the eight-run rule.
In the first game, Fordham broke a scoreless tie in the second inning by scoring three times. Beckah Wiggins led off with an infield single. Meghan Shager followed with another. Chelsea Palumbo advanced them to second and third with a sacrifice bunt. The next batter, Lindsey Kay Bright, hit a grounder back to the box, and the pitcher went home with the throw. Wiggins beat it and scored and on the throw home, Bright turned for second. While the catcher threw to second, Shager broke for the plate and beat the relay and the Rams had a 2-0 lead. Bright later scored the third run of the frame on a fielding error by the second baseman.
Fordham made the lead 7-0 just an inning later by scoring four times in the third. After Jamie LaBovick led off with a single, Wiggins tripled to the wall in center plating LaBovick. Shager followed with an RBI single that scored Wiggins and made it 5-0. Later in the inning, Nicole Callahan drove in a run on a fielder's choice and Samantha Pellechio drove in the seventh run with a sacrifice fly.
The Rams added a run in the fourth and another in the fifth to put the game away. In the fourth a pair of doubles from LaBovick and Palumbo led to a run and in the final at-bat, Gabby Luety drove in Katherine VanBenschoten with another double.
Chelsea Plimpton threw a three-hitter to earn the win and improve to 10-8. She struck out six and didn't walk anyone. Pellechio extended her hitting streak to a career-high 11 games with two hits and an RBI in the win (although she was held hitless in game two).
Game Two
The rubber game was more of the same for the Rams as they scored early and often.
A five-run first inning was highlighted by crafty base running and manufacturing runs. Jocelyn Dearborn led off with a single. She stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch. She scored the first run when Callahan singled through the left side. Back to back doubles from LaBovick and Wiggins generated three runs and the fifth run came on an RBI groundout from Jessica Crowley.
Fordham added three more in the second as Dearborn hit a solo homerun and LaBovick singled home a run and later stole home on the back end of a double steal. The Rams ninth run came when Crowley hit her first-career home run in the third inning.
Jen Mineau tossed a complete game two-hitter to improve to 9-5. She struck out 11 and didn't walk anyone. LaBovick had two hits and two RBI.
Fordham now stands at 20-13 overall on the season. They return to Atlantic 10 play this weekend as they welcome Temple and Saint Joseph's in for a pair of two-game series. The opener with Temple is scheduled for Friday, April 1 at 3:00 P.M.
