April 17, 2013

BRONX, N.Y. - SCOUTING DAYTON: The Flyers enter the weekend series with a 17-18 overall record, but a misleading one at that. Dayton dropped its first six contests of the year against tough national competition, and since then has picked up impressive wins against the likes of Pittsburgh and UMass.

Offensively, Kasi Vasquez leads the Flyers in a number of key categories. The junior catcher from Columbus, Ohio, tops Dayton with a .333 average and eight round-trippers. In addition to Vasquez, four other Flyers are currently hitting above the .300 mark, as Natalie Mariano (.321), Jordan Jennings (.304), Tiffany Ricks (.304) and Kathleen Maloof (.303) have all been having fine years at the dish.

In the circle, Kayla English has taken on the lion's share of the work for the Flyer's this season, leading the squad with 20 starts in 23 appearances. The sophomore hurler from Grapevine, Texas, has pitched 111.2 innings while compiling an 8-8 record. Emily Froment, a freshman from West Alexandria, Ohio, has also seen time on the rubber, registering a 6-2 record in nine starts, including a team-best 2.09 ERA during that time. Alysha Isaacson leads the team in appearances with 25, sporting a 3-7 record with a 5.66 ERA in 59.1 innings pitched for the Flyers. Isaacson has made six starts on the season and has recorded five saves.

LAST TIME OUT: Fordham played four Atlantic 10 contests this past weekend, splitting series with Saint Louis and Butler on the road.

The Rams picked up a 4-3 victory over the Billikens on Friday, but their fortunes were reversed on Saturday, falling 2-1. Fordham then traveled north to face A-10 newcomer Butler for a doubleheader on Sunday. Michele Daubman tossed a shutout for the Rams in game one, but Coach Orchard's squad dropped an extra-inning affair in the second game of the twin bill, losing 3-2 in eight innings.

MAKING HISTORY: The hits just keep on coming for Jamie LaBovick, currently in the midst of a 28 game hitting streak. The Peoria, Ariz., native's mark is good enough for a Fordham softball record, and she has also eclipsed the school-wide mark of 21 games reached twice by Ray Montgomery (1988) and Bob DiVencenzo (1977) on the baseball diamond.

With her 28th consecutive game with a hit on Sunday, LaBovick surpassed the all-time Atlantic 10 record set by Barb Marean of UMass in 1992.

"BAT"TERING RAMS: While LaBovick's assault on the record book has been garnering a fair share of attention from admirers of the Fordham softball program, she is not the only Ram who has been having a spectacular season at the dish.

The senior pitcher and first baseman is one of five Rams batting over .325 on the season, as she leads the team with a .424 average, good enough for second in the conference, and an A-10-best 64 hits.

Hitting second and third in the lineup, Elise Fortier and Gabby Luety have been nearly unconscious when it comes to reaching base and driving in runs. The pair is hitting .356 and .371, respectively, while Luety has driven in a team-best 40 runs. Fortier is right behind her with 39 RBIs on the year.

Both Fortier and Luety sport some of the premier slugging percentages in the nation. Fortier's .831 is 24th best in Division I, while Luety's .724 slugging percentage ranks her 76th nationally among all hitters.

Brianna Turgeon, despite only having played in 11 games, has already re-emerged as a force to be reckoned with in the Rams' lineup. The Mystic, Conn., product is batting .345 so far, grabbing ten hits in only 29 at bats.

Michele Daubman is having a stellar sophomore campaign at the plate in addition to her efforts in the circle. The Long Island native is hitting .327 with four home runs and 22 runs batted in.