Box Score May 11, 2012
Final Stats
St. Louis, Mo. -
The last time Massachusetts' Sara Plourde and Fordham's Jen Mineau met the game turned into a 17-inning marathon that the Minutemen won, 2-1. On Friday in St. Louis, the two pitchers squared off again but this one ended after seven innings as the Minutewomen defeated the Rams, 2-0, on day two of the 2012 Atlantic 10 Championships at the Billiken Sports Center on the campus of Saint Louis University.
Jamie LaBovick got the Rams going early as she ripped the first Sarah Plourde offering of the game past a diving Cyndil Matthew for a double down the left field line. But the Rams couldn't move her around as Plourde retired the next three Fordham batters.
Massachusetts had a prime scoring opportunity in the second as Plourde opened the frame with a line drive single through the shortstop hole. Lindsey Webster then tried to lay down a sacrifice bunt but both runners were safe as Elise Fortier threw the ball high to second. Mineau struck out Katie Bettencourt for the first out, and then got Tiffany Meeks to hit a grounder to Fortier that was misplayed for an error to load the bases for the Minutewomen. Mineau bore down and fanned Teea Rogers for the second out of the inning and then retired Christine Della Vecchia on a comebacker to escape the jam.
An inning later, Mineau got some defensive help as Quianna Diaz-Patterson took a ball 218 feet to the wall in right-center where Brianna Turgeon reached up and took a home run away from her.
Plourde was masterful as well as she retired the Rams in order in the second, third and fourth innings, allowing just the LaBovick double in the first.
In the fifth, Matthew reached on a two-out infield single for UMass and swiped second, but she was stranded there as Mineau struck out Diaz-Patterson to retire the side.
Massachusetts broke up the scoreless tie with a pair of runs in the sixth. Kylie Magill started the rally with a hit into the right center gap that could have been a double if not for Brianna Turgeon cutting the ball off before it got by her. Magill moved to second on a Webster sacrifice bunt and Bettencourt walked to put runners on first and second with one out. Tiffany Meeks delivered Magill with a single to right center and the throw from Turgeon to the plate was offline, allowing Bettencourt to score on the play as the Minutewomen took a 2-0 lead.
Fordham tried to respond in the seventh as Gabby Luety ripped a one-out double into the gap in left center, but Plourde struck out Paige Ortiz and then got Fortier to pop up to end the game.
Mineau allowed just four hits and one earned run in the circle for the Rams while striking out five.
Fordham will play the winner of the Saint Joseph's-George Washington game tonight at 7:00 PM in an elimination game
