Box Score March 17, 2012
Final Stats
Harrisonburg, Va. -
A pair of stellar pitching performances propelled Fordham to a sweep on day two of the JMU Days Inn Invitational on Saturday as the Rams defeated George Washington 4-0, in a non-conference game, and followed that up with a 5-4, 11-inning triumph over Pittsburgh. With the sweep, Fordham improves to 10-14 on the season.
Game 1
Michele Daubman took the ball in the circle looking for her first collegiate win and, after retiring the side in order in the first, had a hiccup in the second. The first two Colonials' hitters both reached on singles before Daubman struck out Julie Orlandi for the first out of the inning. The next batter hit into a fielder's choice for the second out giving George Washington runners on the corners with two down. Chelsea Lenhart then tried to steal home and was thrown out to end the inning.
Fordham gave Daubman a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second. With one out, Chelsea Palumbo singled to short and moved into scoring position by stealing second. Two batters later, Gabby Luety brought Palumbo in with a grounder to second that Orlandi threw away, allowing Palumbo to score. Lindsey Kay Bright followed with a double and Fordham had runners on second and third but couldn't plate another run.
The Rams pushed the lead to 4-0 just an inning later. With one out, Brianna Turgeon singled up the middle. Daubman walked, and then Elise Fortier jacked a home run to right center, her first of the year.
Daubman set down the Colonials in order in the fourth and fifth innings and went the distance for the complete game victory, the first of her college career. In the shutout, she allowed six hits, no walks and struck out two. Bright and Jamie LaBovick each had two hits to lead the Fordham offense.
Game 2
Jen Mineau took the ball against Pitt for the second time in as many days, with the hopes of faring better than her Friday performance, where she allowed just one run on one hit, but took the loss.
Both Mineau and her counterpart, Savannah King, faced the minimum number of batters over the first two innings of play. However, it was Fordham who took the lead in the third as Chelsea Palumbo led off the inning with a solo home run to center, her second of the year, to make it 1-0, Rams.
Mineau was masterful in the circle through the first three innings, allowing just an innocuous base hit in the third and a bunt single in the fourth, the only two base runners she allowed through the first five innings.
Mineau ran into some trouble in the sixth, but was able to escape unscathed as Kristen Cheesbrew led off with an infield single but was forced at second as Carly Thea reached on a fielder's choice. Maggie Sevilla walked and Kelly Hmiel singled and Pitt had the bases loaded with just one out. Mineau then retired Holly Stevens on a foul out to the catcher and got Carissa Throckmorton on a groundout to third as Fordham maintained a 1-0 lead after six innings of play.
The Rams tried to add to their lead in the seventh as Daubman ripped a one-out single to center. She then came around on a Fortier double, but was thrown out at the plate.
Niki Cognigni led off the Pitt seventh with a double to center. Three batters later, Cheesebrew drove her in with a single up the middle to tie that game at one and send it to extra innings.
Fordham retook the lead in the top of the eighth as Palumbo was placed on second base to start the inning. A Luety singled down the right field line moved Palumbo to third and Jo Krasnisky came up as a pinch-hitter for Bright, singling to right-center to score Palumbo and giving the Rams a 2-1 lead.
In the bottom of the eighth, Sevilla was placed on second and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt. She then scored when Stevens lifted a sacrifice fly to center and the game continued on tied at 2-2.
Neither side scored in the ninth nor tenth and the game entered the eleventh still tied at two. Fordham regained the lead in the inning as Paige Ortiz lifted a two-run home run to left, her third of the season, after Jamie LaBovick was placed on second to start the inning. After that, Brianna Turgeon walked and beat the throw to third on a single by Daubman. Fortier then gave Fordham a 5-2 advantage with an RBI groundout that scored Turgeon.
Pitt didn't go quietly, though, as Stevens led off the inning with a two-run homer to center that scored Hmiel, who was placed on second. From there, Mineau retired the next three batters as Fordham held on for the 5-4 win.
Mineau threw all 11 innings to earn the win allowing just two earned runs while striking out ten.
Fordham closes out the JMU Days Inn Invitational with a final game on Sunday against James Madison at noon.
