Box Score May 12, 2011
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Charlotte, N.C. -
The Fordham softball team began play in the Atlantic 10 championship with a 2-0 win over Charlotte on Thursday, May 12, from the Phillips Softball Complex in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Rams earned a first round bye, in winning the regular season title, and faced the 49ers, who had already played the day before. Senior, Beckah Wiggins provided the offense for the Rams.
The game began as a pitcher's dual featuring Fordham's Jen Mineau against Charlotte's Katy Hackett. In the first three innings, neither team managed anything on offense as the 49ers' Tenaya Tucker and Jamie LaBovick each singled over the first three innings to record the only base hits in that stretch. Mineau struck out six batters in that time and Hackett kept the Rams' hitters off balance early with her effective changeup.
Fordham had some good fortune in the top of the fourth. Tucker led off with a single to right-center and Nikki Gayle came in to run for her. During the next at-bat, Gabby Luety snapped a throw to first to pickoff Gayle, and the ball went past LaBovick into right field where Chelsea Palumbo scooped it up and gunned it to Samantha Pellechio for the tag at second to nab Gayle. The 49ers didn't threaten in the remainder of the inning.
In the bottom of the fourth, after managing just one base runner in the first three innings, Fordham got consecutive walks from Nicole Callahan and Pellechio to put runners on first and second with no outs. Hackett then went back to her changeup and retired Luety on a popup, and retired LaBovick and Wiggins on strikeouts. The Rams failed to score after getting their first runner of the game into scoring position.
In the fifth, Mineau got hit hard, but escaped unscathed as Jalisa Rock took Lindsey Kay Bright back to the warning track in left field to haul in the catch. Lorena Valea followed with a double off the wall in left, and Charlotte had a runner in scoring position with one out.
From there, Mineau showed some moxie, as she struck out Carol Buchan and Chelsea Stamey to leave Valea at second.
After going down in order in the fifth, the Rams came to life in the sixth. Callahan hit a flare over third for a single. Pellechio followed with a low line drive just over the second baseman. Luety then roped another base hit to left and Fordham had the bases loaded. Brianna Ciuffi came in to run for Luety and LaBovick stepped to the plate. She had singled earlier in the game and this time she hit a hard smash to shortstop that forced Callahan out at home. The Rams still had the bases loaded and one out.
The next batter was Wiggins, who promptly ripped a line drive up the middle for a single that scored Pellechio and Ciuffi. LaBovick advanced to third and Wiggins took second on the throw home that was too late to get Ciuffi. Fordham led 2-0. In the seventh, Mineau surrendered a leadoff walk, but then retired the 49ers in order and Fordham had the 2-0 win.
For the Rams, Pellechio had a hit and a run scored. Wiggins had a single and drove in both runs and LaBovick, Luety and Callahan each recorded a hit. Mineau threw a complete game shutout to improve to 21-7 on the season. She walked one, hit a batter and struck out 11.
With the win, Fordham advances to the semi-final round of the A-10 championship. They are slated to begin play at noon on Friday, May 13, against the number 2 seed, the Massachusetts Minutewomen.
