Box Score Feb. 17, 2012
Virginia Stats | Greensboro Stats
Greenville, N.C. - The 2012 softball Rams opened up their 2012 season on Friday, as participants in the 2012 Pirate Clash, hosted by East Carolina in Greenville, North Carolina. They defeated Virginia in the opening game, but lost to Greensboro in the second contest.
Against Virginia, the leadoff batter of the game, Jamie LaBovick, ripped a single through the left side and the season was officially underway. Nicole Callahan followed with a walk and the Rams had runners on first and second with no outs. Stony Brook transfer Elise Fortier ripped a line drive that was snagged by Giannina Cipolloni before Gabby Luety advanced the runners with a foul fly that was caught in deep left but Paige Ortiz followed Luety with a popup to end the inning for the Rams.
The game remained scoreless into the third inning where Callahan ripped a one-out single to right. Erica Wills came in to run for Callahan and advanced to second on a passed ball and took third on a Fortier single. Wills then scored the first run of the game on an Ortiz hit through the left side.
The Cavaliers nearly evened the game in the bottom of the third. With one out, Heidi Velk reached on an infield single and stole second. She advanced to third when an illegal pitch was called on Fordham starter, Jen Mineau. Cipolloni then walked and swiped second to put runners on second and third with no outs. But Mineau induced Taylor Williams to ground the ball to Chelsea Palumbo at short, who threw home to Luety to get Velk on the fielder's choice for the second out. The next batter, Erica Cipolloni, fouled out to LaBovick behind first and the Rams escaped the jam unscathed.
Virginia evened the score just one inning later though, as catcher Marcy Bowdren blasted a solo home run to left center.
Fordham pushed the game winning run across in the fifth when LaBovick led off with her second hit of the game, this one a single to right center. She moved to second on a wild pitch and Callahan advanced her to third base on a groundout. Two batters later, Luety delivered her with a single to left field and the Rams led 2-1.
Mineau allowed just two base runners the rest of the way, both on hit batsmen, and Fordham held on for the 2-1 win.
In the victory, LaBovick and Callahan each had two hits, while Ortiz and Luety collected RBIs. Mineau went the distance for her first win of the season, allowing just one run on three hits while striking out 10 and walking just one.
Game 2 The afternoon contest with Greensboro featured Taylor Pirone making her collegiate debut in the circle hoping to follow Mineau's victory with a win of her own.
Pirone got off to a slow start as leadoff batter Aisha Figueroa deadened a bunt in front of the plate and reached for a single. Tatiana Alcala then walked before Eileen Horsmon put Greensboro on the board with an RBI single to right, but Horsmon was out on the play when Callahan picked up her own bobble, and gunned it to Palumbo for the putout. Katelyn Bedwell then made it 2-0 when she lifted a sacrifice fly to right. Pirone retired the next batter and the Rams trailed 2-0 after a half of an inning.
Fordham bailed out Pirone in the bottom of the inning as Callahan lifted a single to left field. Fortier followed her with a one-out double over the right fielder's head and the Rams loaded the bases when Luety was hit by the pitch. The next batter, Ortiz, collected her second career RBI with a single to center that scored Callahan. Chelsea Palumbo hit into a fielder's choice for the second out as Fortier was forced at the plate before Brianna Turgeon collected her first career RBI with a walk that scored Fortier and tied the game at two.
Greensboro regained the lead in the second when Heather Robb reached on an infield single and scored on a triple from Ashley Reetz. Toni MacReynolds made it 4-2 with a base hit up the middle that plated Reetz. Kiah Ruffin then laid a bunt down the third base line that was misplayed by Fortier for an error and the Spartans had runners on second and third with no outs. Pirone showed some moxie and got the next two batters to pop out before she was relieved by Michelle Daubman.
Daubman's inaugural appearance began with Horsmon scoring the fifth Spartans run of the inning when Bedwell hit a grounder to short that Palumbo misplayed for an error. Daubman got the next batter and after an inning and a half, Fordham trailed 7-2.
The Rams showed some comeback spirit again in the bottom of the frame as they pushed two more runs across. After LaBovick reached on a fielder's choice, Callahan ripped a double to left center to advance LaBovick to third. LaBovick scofed and Callahan moved to third on a wild pitch as Fordham drew within four, 7-3, and had a runner on third base with just one out. Fortier then walked and stole second and Luety walked and the Rams had the bases loaded with one out for Palumbo. She earned the fourth free pass of the inning to force in Callahan and make it 7-4.
Greensboro scored three unearned runs in the third on two hits and two errors to take a 10-4 lead.
VanBenschoten lead off the bottom of the third by getting hit by the pitch, advanced to second on an illegal pitch and made it to third on a groundout. After a pop out, Callahan ripped a grounder to second that was misplayed for an error with VanBenschoten scoring on the play as the Rams trailed 10-5 after three innings.
Horsmon hit a solo homer in the fourth and another in the sixth to boost the Spartans' lead to 12-5 heading into the bottom of the seventh. In the Fodham seventh, Jessica Crowley reached on an infield single and Jo Krasnisky followed with a home run over the wall in left for the final runs of the game.
Pirone took the loss in her debut, and Callahan and Ortiz each collected two hits. Mineau came out of the bullpen to throw four innings while striking out eight.
With the split, Fordham is 1-1 on the year.
The team returns to action on Saturday, February 18 when they face ECU at 3 PM and Virginia at 5 PM in day two of the 2012 Pirate Clash.
