ORLANDO, Fla. -- A nine-run first inning was more than enough for the Fordham softball team in its 10-5 victory Sunday over #13/11 Minnesota at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex. With the victory, the Rams snap a three-game losing streak and improve to 9-7 on the season, while the Golden Gophers fall to 14-3 overall.
The win also comes against the sixth-highest ranked team in program history. Previously, the Rams defeated #3 Alabama (2012), #5 Texas (2013), #8 Georgia Tech (2010), #11 Texas (2011) and #12/14 Fresno State (2009).
Fordham batted around before ever recording an out in the top of the first. Sophomores
Sydney Canessa,
Amy Van Hoven and
Lindsay Mayer loaded the bases to start the game on a pair of singles and a walk, before seniors
Michele Daubman (two-run double),
Cora Ianiro (RBI single) and
Kayla Lombardo (RBI single) produced a 4-0 lead for the Rams.
Freshman
Madison Shaw followed with a single to reload the bases, and senior
Rachel Gillen increased the lead to 5-0 with a RBI walk, chasing Minnesota starting pitcher Nikki Anderson from the game.
Senior
Brianna Turgeon was the ninth batter of the inning, and she worked a RBI walk to stretch the lead to 6-0. After Canessa popped up to second base for the first out, Van Hoven capped the scoring with a three-run triple for a 9-0 lead. She tried for the inside-the-park grand slam but was thrown at the plate.
Minnesota grabbed two runs back with single tallies in the second and the third innings, before Gillen's RBI groundout in the top of the fifth made it 10-2.
The Rams had a chance to run-rule the Golden Gophers heading into the bottom of the fifth, but Minnesota kept itself a live with a two-run homer from Sara Groenewegen. The Golden Gophers tacked on an unearned run in the bottom of the sixth as well, but it was not enough, as Fordham cruised to the 10-3 victory.
Gillen (5-2) earned the victory in the circle after yielding five runs (four earned) on seven hit in 5.2 innings of work while walking two and whiffing five. Daubman (0.1 inning) and junior
Patti Maloney (1.0 inning) closed out the game for the Rams.
Van Hoven finished a perfect 4-for-4 (career high), falling a home run short of the cycle, drove home a career-high three and scored once to lead Fordham's 13-hit attack. Every starter scored at least one run, with Ianiro coming around twice, and Daubman added two hits and two RBI.
Macken had three hits and three RBI for Minnesota, who finished with eight hits, while Groenewegen added two hits and two RBI. Anderson (3-1) was charged with the loss in the circle, after the Rams tagged her for eight earned runs on six hits. Kylie Stober allowed just one unearned run over the final six innings.
Fordham will have nearly two weeks off before returning to action March 13-15 at the North Carolina State Hyatt Place Invitational in Raleigh, N.C. The Rams are slated to play Missouri, Binghamton, Longwood, N.C. State and Lipscomb.
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