Box Score May 4, 2012
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Bronx, N.Y. -
Fordham senior Jen Mineau has pitched in the two longest games in Fordham history, and she was the hard-luck loser in both. Last May, she was in the circle in the 16-inning loss to Penn State and tonight she dominated for 17 innings in a 2-1 loss to Massachusetts on Bahoshy Field, a game which set the school record. The setback leaves Fordham at 30-21 overall, 14-3 in the A-10, while UMass improves to 32-11, 16-0 in the league.
The game featured a pair of All-Americans in the circle in Mineau and Sarah Plourde, who combined for 37 strikeouts, 19 for Minea and 18 for Plourde, the sixth best single game total in NCAA history.
Mineau was a little shaky early as she yielded a walk to Cyndil Matthew in the first but then struck out the side. But Kyllie Magill led off the UMass second with a solo home run down the right-field line to give the Minutemen a 1-0 lead.
Fordham rallied against Plourde in the third as Michele Daubman led off by reaching first on a hit by pitch and moved to second on a groundout. Jamie LaBovick promptly ripped a base hit to left field but Daubman was thrown out at home trying to score, with LaBovick taking second on the throw. Lindsey Kay Bright followed with a single up the middle to give the Rams runners on the corners for Nicole Callahan. Callahan took a Plourde offering into left-center but Minutewomen centerfielder Christine Della Vecchia ran the ball down, to preserve 1-0 lead for UMass.
The game remained at 1-0 until Fordham's final at-bat in the seventh. Gabby Luety, who was moved into the clean-up spot prior to the game, ripped a solo homerun over the wall in left, evening the score. It was Luety's eighth homer of the season, her first since March 30 against Charlotte.
Both sides went quietly through the next four innings until Fordham showed some sparkling defense in the top of the 13th. Della Vecchia worked a one-out walk to give UMass a base runner and Matthew ripped a line drive into the hole that Chelsea Palumbo snagged for the out and threw across the diamond to double up Della Vecchia at first.
Fordham had a chance to win in the bottom of the 14th as LaBovick singled through the left side. She was forced at second as Bright reached on a fielder's choice. Callahan moved Bright to third with a groundout, but the Rams were turned aside as Luety struck out, and the game remained knotted at one.
The Rams had another chance to get to Plourde in the 16th inning. With one out, LaBovick lifted a Plourde pitch to the wall in dead center where Della Vecchia ran back and made the catch at the wall, likely robbing LaBovick of a home run. Bright then reached on a fielding error by the first baseman and got to third when Callahan ripped a base hit through the right side. For Callahan, that hit gave her a 17-game hitting streak, breaking the 16-game school record set by Melissa Andrews in 2008. Luety walked to load the bases, and Paige Oritz ripped a ball into the centerfield gap that Della Vecchia ran down.
Magill led off the UMass 17th with a double and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt. Stephanie Mayne reached first when she was hit by a pitch. With runners on the corners, Teea Rogers laid down a suicide squeeze bunt down the third base line that scored Magill and gave the Minutewomen a 2-1 lead.
Fordham went in order in the 17th as UMass won the longest game in Fordham softball history, 2-1.
LaBovick and Luety each had two hits for the Rams while Mineau threw all 17 innings in the defeat, striking out 19 batters, allowing seven hits, and walking four. Mineau is now 24-12.
These two teams return to action on Saturday, May 5, at noon for the final game of their series and then Fordham hosts Rhode Island for an Atlantic 10 doubleheader on Sunday before facing #3/4 Alabama on Monday night in the Bronx.
