Softball to Face Stiff Competition This Weekend in Orlando

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BRONX, N.Y. -- The Fordham softball team (8-5), winners in five of its last six contests, travel to the Sunshine State for the second time this season when the Rams head to Orlando this weekend to participate in the Diamond 9 Citrus Classic II, which will be held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.

Fordham is scheduled to play two games Friday against Big Ten opponents Maryland (11 a.m.) and Penn State (1:15 p.m.), before taking on #8/#8 Georgia (3:30 p.m.) and Georgetown (5:45 p.m.) Saturday afternoon. The Rams conclude the tournament Sunday morning against #13/#11 Minnesota at 10 a.m.

Last Time Out
Fordham won a pair of true road games over Furman (3-2 in eight innings, 8-1) but fell to Gardner-Webb (7-5) last weekend at Furman's Paladin Classic in Greenville, S.C. Redshirt junior Rachel Gillen tossed her third complete game of the season in the opening victory against the Paladins, and her effort allowed the Rams to rally in the top of the seventh before prevailing in eight innings, 3-2. She fanned a career-high 15, worked around five walks and five hits, and yielded two earned runs in 8.0 innings of work. The following day against Gardner-Webb she pitched in relief over the final three innings and allowed one earned run on three hits while walking none and striking out three. Gillen entered the game with Fordham trailing 6-3 and allowed the Rams to crawl back into the game before falling 7-5. In the two-game sample, Gillen allowed three earned runs on eight hits, walked five and recorded 18 strikeouts in 11.0 innings of work en route to picking up her third consecutive Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Week accolade to start the season. Overall, she is 4-1 with a 1.88 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 41.0 innings.

Senior Michele Daubman stared in the circled and earned the victory in the second game with Furman after allowing one earned run on five hits in 5.0 innings of work, before junior Patti Maloney tossed the final two innings.  Sophomore Lauren Quense was charged with the loss versus Gardner-Webb after lasting 2.1 innings. Maloney also pitched 1.2 innings before giving way to Gillen.

Senior Cora Ianio hit .375 (3-for-8) with two walks, slugged .750, and reached based at a .500 clip while scoring four times and driving in three over the weekend. Sophomore Amy Van Hoven also scored four times and drove in three to go along with a stolen base, and Quense finished 2-for-4 and hit her first home run of the season. Sophomore Sydney Canessa (.333/.667/.500, 1 3B, 2 R, 3 RBI), senior Paige Ortiz (.333/.500/.429, 1 2B) and senior Kayla Lombardo (.300/.500/.417, 2 2B) all manufactured solid weekends as well.

Maryland
2015 Season: 10-5
When: Friday, Feb. 27 - 11 a.m.
Where: Orlando, Fla. (ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex)
Series History: Maryland leads 4-3 (since March 9, 2008)
Last Meeting: March 1, 2013 - Maryland 10 Fordham 2 (6 innings) (in Orlando, Fla.)
What You Need To Know: The Terrapins are coming off a strong weekend at the Mary Nutter Classic in Palm Springs, Calif., where they finished 4-1, with the lone loss coming to #24 Notre Dame (8-6) in the opener, and rebounded with four straight wins over BYU (2-1 in 9 innings), Nevada (4-3 in 8 innings), UNLV (5-2) and Long Beach State (10-7). Maryland's four other losses have all come by one run: Virginia Tech (7-6, 11-10), #22 Tulsa (1-0), at Florida Atlantic (6-5). The wins have occurred over Lafayette (8-2), at Coastal Carolina (3-1, 4-3 in 8 innings), Providence (4-0) and Drexel (6-0, 3-1). The Terrapins are strong in the circle having pitched to a 2.78 ERA with 57 walks, 75 strikeouts and 111 hits over 104.2 innings of work. Kaitlyn Schmeiser leads the way with a 7-4 record and two saves in 14 appearances (seven starts). She has a 2.50 ERA, four complete games (one shutout), 74 strikeouts and just eight walks while yielding 58 hits in 67.1 innings. Hannah Dewey has started eight of 11 games, posting a 3-1 record with one save and a 2.94 ERA while walking 29 and fanning 18 in 35.2 innings. Offensively, Maryland is hitting .266, with Dewey batting a team-best .465 (20-of-43) and posting a team-high .596 on-base percentage. Mandy Gardner is the top power threat with three home runs and 21 RBI, while Corey Schwartz is solid all around (.333, 3 HR, 12 RBI, 12 R) at the plate.

Penn State
2015 Season: 6-7
When: Friday, Feb. 27 - 1:15 p.m.
Where: Orlando, Fla. (ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex)
Series History: Penn State leads 2-1 (since March 12, 2008)
Last Meeting: May 25, 2011 - Penn State 5 Fordham 2 (16 innings) (in University Park, Pa. at NCAA Regionals)
What You Need To Know: The Nittany Lions enter play this weekend riding a four-game losing streak, which started with a loss to Eastern Michigan (2-1) in College Station, Texas, before being swept in a three-game series at Mississippi State last weekend. Penn State started the season 3-0 after winning its first three contests at Florida Atlantic over Arkansas (6-4), LIU Brooklyn (9-1 in 5 innings) and Georgia Tech (3-2), but then fell to Kansas (8-0 in 5 innings) and Florida Atlantic (7-0). In College Station at Texas A&M, the Nittany Lions beat Missouri State (4-3, 6-1) and split with the hosts (0-8 (5), 4-3 (8)) before the loss to EMU. In the circle, Penn State sports a 4.98 ERA, 81 hits, 66 walks and 46 strikeouts in 46.2 innings. Marlaina Laubach has been the most effective, going 2-2 with a 2.86 ERA in six appearances (two starts). She has struck out 12, walked six and has given up 16 hits in 22.0 innings of work while holding opponents to a .195 batting average. The offensive is managing to hit only .248, with Kristina Brackpool leading the way with a .353/.647/.425 slash line, three home runs, 11 RBI and five runs. Alyssa VanDerveer adds three home runs, seven RBI and five runs while hitting .289.

Georgia
2015 Season: 12-2
When: Saturday, Feb. 28 - 3:30 p.m.
Where: Orlando, Fla. (ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex)
Series History: First Meeting
What You Need To Know: The Bulldogs, who come into play ranked #8 in both national polls, will have played four games before taking on the Rams. Georgia won its first 11 games of the season but lost two of its four contests last weekend at the Mary Nutter Classic to #25 Texas (5-0) and #24 Notre Dame (5-3). The Bulldogs excel in the circle, having compiled a 1.62 ERA and six complete-game shutouts while limiting opponents to a .134 batting average. They have yielded only 39 hits, walked just 22 and have fanned 102 over 82.0 innings. Chelsea Wilkinson has made 10 starts and is 8-2 with a 1.77 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 59.1 innings, while Brittany Gray is 3-0 with a 1.58 ERA in her four starts. The offense mashes at a .427 clip, with five starters hitting .444 or higher, and uses speed to already swipe 41-of-42 bases so far this year. Cortni Emanuel is hitting a ridiculous .600 and leads the team in hits (27), runs (19) and stolen bases (21), while Paige Wilson is batting .564 with five doubles, 19 runs, and 23 RBI. The other three players are Sydni Emanuel (.525, 18 R, 21 H, 1 HR, 10 RBI, 5 SB), Alex Hugo (.512, 18 R, 22 H, 3 2B, 4 3B, 5 HR, 25 RBI) and Samantha LaZear (.444, 6 SB).

Georgetown
2015 Season: 5-3
When: Saturday, Feb. 28 - 5:45 p.m.
Where: Orlando, Fla. (ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex)
Series History: First Meeting
What You Need To Know: The Hoyas saw their last six games canceled due to weather and have been idle since Valentine's Day when they beat Atlantic 10 foe Saint Joseph's (5-1) and UNC-Wilmington (10-3) in Wilmington, N.C. They also also lost to the hosts (5-4) and beat UMBC (3-0). Georgetown started the season with victories over Indiana State (8-2) and South Dakota (8-0) and losses to UMKC (11-8) and IUPUI (5-3) in Nashville, Tenn. The Hoyas will have played three contests before taking on the Rams. The pitching staff has pitched to a very solid 2.26 ERA over 55.2 innings, recording 47 strikeouts and 19 walks while allowing 43 hits. Megan Hyson is 4-1 with a microscopic 0.86 ERA and has completed all three games she has started in the circle, including one shutout. She has allowed 22 hits, walked nine and fanned 42 in 33.2 innings pitched. The offense hits a solid .292 and has stolen 14-of-15 bases. Grace Appelbe leads the team in average (.370) and home runs (2) and is tied for the team lead in hits (10), while Theresa Kane (.333, 10 H) has scored a team-high 14 runs and has stolen a team-best four bases

Minnesota
2015 Season: 13-1
When: Sunday, March 1 - 10 a.m.
Where: Orlando, Fla. (ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex)
Series History: Minnesota leads 1-0 (since March 16, 2000)
Last Meeting: March 16, 2000 - Minnesota 6 Fordham 0 (in Clearwater, Fla.)
What You Need To Know: The Golden Gophers are off to their best start in program history, ranked #13/#11 in both national polls this week, and won is first eight games before falling to Central Florida (4-0). Minnesota rebounded with five straight wins, including a 4-1 triumph at #19/#21 Arizona State last weekend, and will play four games before taking on the Rams. The pitching staff is very strong with a 2.25 ERA and nine complete games (three shutouts). In 87.0 innings in the circle, the Golden Gophers have fanned 122, walked just 24, and allowed 72 hits, with opponents hitting .215. Sara Groenewegen has started seven of nine games and is 7-1 with an unreal 0.71 ERA and six complete games, including two shutouts. She has fanned 83, walked only eight, and has given up only 25 hits in 49.0 innings pitched while opponents are hitting just .140. Offensively, Minnesota is hitting an excellent .379 and has swiped 29-of-32 bases. Hannah Granger (.525/.725/.604, 21 H, 2 HR, 14 RBI), Kaitlyn Richardson (.523/.795/.577, 10 R, 23 H, 3 HR, 18 RBI) and Erica Meyer (.514/1.057/.595, 17 R, 18 H, 7 2B, 4 HR, 8 RBI, 5 SB) pace an offense featuring six players hitting .395 or better and has belted 24 home runs.

Up Next
The Rams have the following weekend off before returning to action March 13-15 at North Carolina State's Hyatt Place Invitational in Raleigh, N.C. Fordham is scheduled to play five games against Missouri, Binghamton, Longwood, North Carolina State and Lipscomb.