Box Score April 29, 2011
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Amherst, Mass. -
The softball game between Fordham and Massachusetts on Friday, April 29, had all the makings of a classic: two All-American, ace pitchers in the circle, a pair of the strongest programs in the conference over the past few years battling each other, and a couple of teams jockeying for position in the top of the Atlantic 10 standings meeting at the end of the season. The salience of the game was palpable, and it was the Rams who responded to the pressure, downing the Minutewomen, 6-0, in the opener of a two-game series in Amherst, Massachusetts.
Neither team could muster a hit in the first three innings as the two ace pitchers, Sara Plourde, for Massachusetts, and Fordham's Jen Mineau, dominated by retiring the side for the first two innings of the game. The first baserunner of the game, for either side, was Fordham's Lindsey Kay Bright, who walked with two outs in the third. She got no further though, as Plourde struck out Jocelyn Dearborn for the second time, to end the inning.
UMass showed some cracks in its armor in the fourth as Nicole Callahan reached on a fielding error by the Kyllie Magill. Jessica Richards came in to run for her and she advanced to second when Plourde uncorked a wild pitch. After a walk to Samantha Pellechio, Jamie LaBovick came up with one out. She ripped a grounder to Magill who went to force Pellechio at second, but threw the ball into the outfield for her second error of the inning. Richards scored on the play and the Rams led 1-0.
Later in the inning, Chelsea Palumbo connected on her first of two hits on the day, this one a 2-RBI single that scored Pellechio and LaBovick and gave Fordham a 3-0 lead. Palumbo put the game out of reach in the sixth with a three-run home run to left field that scored LaBovick and Beckah Wiggins ahead of her. LaBovick reached on a double Wiggins singled. The home run gave the Rams an insurmountable, 6-0 lead. And from there, Mineau shut the door.
With runners on first and second and one out in the sixth, Pitching Coach Brealand Edwards went to the mound to speak to Mineau. Afterwards, she caught a line drive off the bat of Lindsey Webster and calmly tossed to LaBovick to complete the double play and escape without allowing a run, and the Rams had their first-ever shutout over the Minutewomen.
With the win, Fordham improves to 35-17 and 13-4 in league play. UMass is 23-16, 10-4 in the A-10. Dearborn extended her career high hitting streak to 12 games with an infield single in the seventh. Mineau threw a complete-game and improved to 18-7 on the season. She gave two hits, walked a batter and struck out six.
Fordham will look for the sweep of the series on Saturday as the teams meet for the second time. The first pitch is scheduled for noon.
