Softball Downs UMass 9-1 in Six Innings

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After dropping the final two games of the regular season, the Rams rebounded with a vengeance in their first tilt of the 2014 Atlantic 10 Championship, downing UMass 9-1 in six innings.
 
Gabby Luety and Kayla Lombardo belted homers for the Rams, Luety a three-run shot in the third and Lombardo a two run bomb in the fifth.
 
Amy Van Hoven, who finished the regular season with a .367 batting average, went 3-4 to bump her average to .377.  Cora Ianiro also went 3-4 for the Rams, including the game-winning single in the bottom of the sixth.
 
Rachel Gillen recorded a multi-RBI day, driving in a pair.
 
After both teams went down in order to start the game in the opening inning, the Rams put the first run of the game on the board in the bottom of the second.  A single from Lombardo and a pair of fielder's choices surrounding a Michele Daubman walk loaded the bases for the Rams with one out.  With Gillen at the plate, the junior from Wilmington, Del., put a hard-hit ball on the ground past the pitcher, bringing home the game's first run on a fielder's choice.
 
The Minutewomen tied up the score at one in the top of the third, but the Rams responded right away in the home half of the frame.  A single from Van Hoven, an Elise Fortier walk and a Lombardo fielder's choice gave the Rams runners on first and second for Luety, who entered into an eight-pitch battle with UMass hurler Caroline Raymond.  On pitch number eight, the Cortland, N.Y., native gave it a ride, hitting the ball well over the fence in left field and giving the Rams a 4-1 lead.
 
Patti Maloney came in to pitch the top of the fifth, retiring the first two batters before getting Tiffany Meeks to foul out to Lombardo and work out of a little jam a few hitters later.
 
In the bottom of the fifth, the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year drew a leadoff walk and Lombardo brought them both home in the following at bat, sailing a ball over the fence in right center to give the Rams a 6-1 lead.
 
The Rams added three more runs in the bottom of the sixth on RBI hits from Paige Ortiz, Gillen and Ianiro, closing out the game by the run rule in the sixth inning.
 
Daubman picked up her team-leading 16^th win of the season, while Maloney registered her fifth save of the year.
 
The Rams will face off tomorrow in the Atlantic 10 semifinals against Saint Louis first pitch for that game is scheduled for noon.