April 30, 2012

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Bronx, N.Y. - The Fordham softball team will complete a home and home series with Iona on Tuesday, May 1, at 3:00 PM in New Rochelle, New York.

The Rams enter the contest following an Atlantic 10 doubleheader split with Dayton on Friday, April 27. On the year, Fordham is 30-20 overall, 14-2 in the Atlantic 10, including a 13-6 road record and a 7-2 mark against New York State opponents.

Offensively, the Rams are led by a senior and a freshman. Lindsey Kay Bright enters the game leading the team in hitting (.397), on base percentage (.421) and stolen bases (eight). In game one with the Flyers on Friday Bright became just the fifth Fordham softball player to reach 200 career hits.

Newcomer Paige Ortiz is having a positive effect in the Fordham lineup. She leads the team in home runs, RBI, total bases and slugging and was named A-10 Rookie of the Week on March 26.

In the circle, the Rams preseason All-American Jen Mineau is currently 24-11 on the year and ranked second in the NCAA with 343 strikeouts on the year. She was named Pitcher of the Week for the third time on April 9 while last week she picked up a pair of wins against St. Bonaventure. Taylor Pirone and Michele Daubman have also seen time on the rubber this year.

The Gaels are 30-22 overall on the year, 11-3 in the MAAC, and are 10-6 at home in 2012. They are currently in the midst of a four-game winning streak, having swept a pair of games from St. Peter's and Siena.

Offensively, the team leans heavily on Eileen McCann and Alyssa Maiese. McCann paces the Gaels in batting (.347), hits (50) and triples (one) and is second on the team in home runs. Maiese is hitting .311 and leads Iona in homers (nine), RBI (38) and doubles (13).

In the circle, Sarah Jackson and Maiese have seen the bulk of the work. Jackson leads the staff in wins (15-10), ERA (1.30), complete games (22), shutouts (seven) and strikeouts (204); while Maiese is second in innings pitched and boasts a 1.44 ERA.

Following the game with Iona, the Rams close out their regular season schedule with five home games. The stretch starts with four Atlantic 10 contests, hosting Massachusetts for single games on Friday and Saturday and Rhode Island for a doubleheader on Sunday. Fordham then closes out the regular season when nationally ranked Alabama pays Fordham a visit on Monday.