April 9, 2009
Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. -
The St. Bonaventure softball team used some timely hitting to capture game one of its Atlantic 10 doubleheader against Fordham before dropping the second game of the series on Thursday afternoon at McGraw Jennings Field.
The Bonnies scrapped their way to a 2-1 win in the opener, before falling to the Rams in the second game of the double dip, 10-4.
With the split, the Brown and White's overall record moves to 5-19 overall and 3-7 in the A-10. Fordham, meanwhile, moved its record to 28-15 on the season and 8-4 in the Atlantic 10.
Junior Sherri Thompson got the start in the first game of the doubleheader and pitched a gem for the home team. Thompson went the distance allowing just one earned runs on nine hits allowed to improve her record to 4-9 on the season.
Thompson and Fordham starter Jen Mineau would match scoreless innings through the first five frames of the game. Mineau did not allow a single hit to the Bonnies, while Thompson was able to pitch her way out of multiple jams to keep the score tied at 0-0 going into the sixth inning.
Fordham would get on the scoreboard first in the top of the frame when sophomore Samantha Pellechio started things off with a leadoff single. After a sacrifice bunt moved Pellechio over to second base, sophomore Shelly Shager doubled to deep center field to score Pellechio and give the Rams a 1-0 lead.
St. Bonaventure would answer right back, however, in the bottom of the sixth. Senior Andrea Swanger started the rally with a double to left-center to give the Bonnies a runner in scoring position with no outs. Sophomore Shelly Seeger would reach base next after Mineau failed to field a grounder that also allowed Swanger to advance to third. After back-to-back Brown and White strikeouts junior Stephanie Narde stepped up to the plate and delivered the play of the day. Narde pulled a Mineau pitch down the left field line that landed a few inches from the foul line to plate both Swanger and Seeger and give the Bonnies a 2-1 lead.
Thompson would take care of the rest, keeping the Rams off the scoreboard in the seventh to preserve the game one victory for St. Bonaventure.
Game two would not go so smoothly for the Brown and White as Fordham's bats came alive in the night cap.
St.Bonaventure would get on the board first, in the bottom of the second inning, thanks to an RBI double from senior Amanda Kotz and some shaky Fordham defense to jump out to a 2-0 lead.
The Fordham bats would come alive in the top of the third inning against Thompson who got the start in the second game as well for the Bonnies. Thompson allowed the first six Rams who came up to reach base. After giving up five earned runs, and recording just one out, in the frame Thompson was pulled in favor of freshman Erin Nargi. Nargi did not fare much better, allowing Fordham to push two more runs across, to make the score 7-2, before finally getting out of the inning.
That would be more than enough run support for Rams starter Chelsea Plimpton. Plimpton pitched a complete game allowing four runs, only one of which was earned, on seven hits to pick up the victory.
Swanger finished the day going 2-for-5 with two runs scored, while Narde also had a solid day at the dish going 2-for-6 with an RBI and a run scored.
St. Bonaventure will be back in action on Saturday, April11, when it welcomes La Salle to McGraw Jennings Field for another Atlantic 10 doubleheader. The first game of the series is set to start at 12:00 p.m.
