Box Score March 18, 2012
Final Stats
Harrisonburg, Va. -
The Fordham softball team closed out play at JMU Days Inn Invitational with a 7-4 win over James Madison on Sunday, March 18, in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The win capped a successful weekend for the Rams, who posted a 4-1 record in the games at the Invitational.
Fordham got on the board early against James Madison as Jamie LaBovick led off the game with a walk that was followed by a Paige Ortiz home runs, her second home run of the weekend and her fourth of the year, to give the Rams a 2-0 lead.
JMU answered with a run in the second as Caitlen Manning took a Taylor Pirone offering over the wall in left for a solo shot.
After the Rams went in order in the third, JMU took the lead by scoring three times in the bottom of the inning. Jasmine Butler led off with a bunt single, stole second and moved to third on a throwing error by Kayla Lombardo. Later in the inning, Ashley Burnham hit into a fielder's choice where Callahan went home but Butler beat the throw and the Dukes tied the game at two. Two batters later, Sarah Mooney connected on a two-run home run as JMU took a 4-2 lead.
Fordham responded in the very next inning as Paige Ortiz led off with a walk. Brianna Ciuffi came in to run for Ortiz and Ciuffi scored on Brianna Turgeon's third home run of the season as the Rams knotted the game at four.
Jen Mineau came in to relieve starter Pirone in the bottom of the fourth and allowed two base runners but struck out the final two batters of the inning to escape trouble.
Neither team scored in the fifth, as the inning was highlighted by a triple play turned by JMU. LaBovick singled to left and Callahan ripped a base hit to put runners on first and second as Sammi Smith came in to run for Callahan. Ortiz hit a ground ball to short and Dukes turned the 6-4-3 double play but they also got LaBovick rounding third for the triple play.
Fordham took the lead for the good in the sixth. Elise Fortier started the rally with a two-out single up the middle and Chelsea Palumbo made the score 5-4 as she connected on an RBI triple to right to plate Fortier. Palumbo came in to score on a wild pitch as the Rams increased the lead to 6-4.
Fordham added another run in the seventh on a Turgeon RBI infield single to stretch the lead to 7-4.
LaBovick and Turgeon each had a pair of hits to lead Fordham with Turgeon driving in three runs and LaBovick scoring twice. Mineau came in from the bullpen to earn the win, allowing two hits over the final four innings while striking out nine, to go to 9-8 on the year. Elise Fortier and Jen Mineau were named to the All-Tournament team while Michele Daubman was named Most Outstanding Player.
Fordham opens up the home portion of the schedule on Tuesday, March 20 with a game against St. John's on the newly renovated Bahoshy Field at 3:00 PM.
