Box Score March 10, 2012
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Clearwater, Fla. -
Day two of the UnderArmour Showcase tournament saw Fordham split a pair for the second straight day as they defeated Rugters,6-1, and fell to Central Michigan, 8-0, in five innings. The Rams are now 6-12 on the year.
Game one:
Fordham jumped out to a fast start in the first inning as Nicole Callahan walked and came around to score on Brianna Turgeon's second home run of the season. Turgeon was inserted into the cleanup spot prior to the game and her homer gave the Rams a 2-0 lead.
Lindsey Curran reached first on a fielding error but Chelsea Palumbo. She moved into scoring position by stealing second. Brittney Lindley followed with a walk and the Scarlet Knights had runners on first and second with one out. Jen Mineau escaped trouble by striking out Ashley Alden and Jennifer Harabedian to retire the side.
The Rams added an unearned run in the second as Michele Daubman led off and reached on an error by the shortstop. Gabby Luety followed with a walk and they both moved up on a sacrifice bunt from Chelsea Palumbo. From there, Daubman scored and Luety moved to third on a passed ball and Fordham led 3-0. Lindsey Kay Bright earned a walk and Rutgers' starter Abbey Houston was forced from the box.
Mineau retired Rutgers in order in the second and third innings and recorded strikeouts to five of the six batters faced. In the fourth, Fordham took a 4-0 lead when Luety blasted a solo home run to left.
Rutgers finally got on the scoreboard in the fourth as Harabedian worked a two-out walk and came around to score on an RBI double into the left-centerfield gap by Alexis Durando. Fordham still led 4-1.
Mineau had another hiccup in the sixth as Rutgers got the first two batters on base with a single and a hit by pitch. Mineau then retired the side by striking out Ashley Alden, getting Harabedian on an infield popup and fanning Durando. Fordham took a 4-1 lead into the seventh.
For the second time in as many starts for Mineau, the Rams gave her late insurance runs, this time, in the seventh. Palumbo led off with a single to short. Bright followed with a walk. Jamie LaBovick then made it 5-1 for Fordham, with an RBI single that scored Palumbo. From there, Nicole Callahan followed with a grounder back to the box, and the pitcher went home with the throw, but Bright eluded the tag and scored to make it 6-1, Rams heading into the bottom of the seventh.
Mineau surrendered a benign double to lead off the seventh, but retired the side to earn the complete game, 6-1 victory. The Rams are now 6-11 with the win.
Mineau went the distance in a three-hitter, struck out 14 Scarlet Knights and picked up her second win in two days. On offense, Turgeon and Luety each had homers and Palumbo recorded two hits.
Game two:
The contest with Central Michigan looked promising early for the Rams as LaBovick singled and Callahan walked to open the game. After two outs, Elise Fortier walked to load the bases, but Fordham stranded all three runners as Luety struck out.
Central Michigan wasted little time grabbing the lead off Fordham starter Michele Daubman as Macy Merchant led off the bottom of the first with a line drive double down the left field line. Raechel Zahrn bunted towards third and beat it out and the Chippewas had runners on the corners with no outs. Summer Knoop gave Central Michigan a 1-0 lead with an RBI single back through the box that scored Merchant. The next batter, Molly Coldren, made it 2-0, with a double that plated Zahrn and put runners on second and third with no outs. Chelsea DeLamielleure followed Coldren, and she popped out, but during her at-bat, there was a passed ball that scored Knoop to extend the lead to 3-0. Two batters later, Ashley Gilson blasted a two-run-home run over the wall in right to make it 5-0 for the Chippewas, but not before Turgeon made a leaping attempt for the ball.
Taylor Pirone came in to relieve Daubman in the circle at this point, but not before Daubman recorded her first career strikeout earlier in the inning. Pirone fanned Rachael Hensel and the inning was over.
Central Michigan added to its lead in the third as Coldren doubled over Bright's head in left. After a strikeout by Pirone, Brittney Horan made the score 6-0 with an RBI base hit to center that scored Coldren. Horan moved to second on Jessica Crowley's throw home. After a pop-up for the second out, the pitch hit Hensel, and then Carol Ann Sexauer singled to left and Bright's throw gets away from Kayla Lombardo at home, allowing Horan to score the seventh run. Kristen Kulhman then ripped a pinch-hit single to third that scored Hensel to make it 8-0.
Fordham went in order the rest of the way and Central Michigan had an 8-0 win in five innings.
The Rams return to action in the UnderArmour Showcase tournament on Sunday, March 11, with a single game against Western Michigan at 9:00 AM.
