University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Fordham
Softball Falls To Fordham In Series Opener, 6-0
April 29, 2011 | Softball
April 29, 2011
AMHERST, Mass. - Chelsea Palumbo drove in five runs with a two-run single and a three-run home run to lead Fordham over UMass, 6-0 on Friday afternoon at the UMass Softball Complex. It was a pitching duel between Sara Plourde and Jen Mineau until the Rams took advantage of two UMass errors to plate three runs in the fourth and added three more in the sixth on Palumbo's homer. Cyndil Matthew went 2-for-2, accounting for both UMass hits.
Both starting pitchers started the game on fire, retiring the first eight batters for both sides. Plourde (21-12) struck out seven of the first eight batters before allowing her first baserunner with a walk two-out walk in the third. She finished with 12 strikeouts and allowed three earned runs on six hits and three walks.
Mineau (18-7) did not allow a baserunner until Matthew's two-out single in the third and finished with six strikeouts and walked one in a two-hit shutout.
The Rams took advantage of defensive miscues to score three runs in the top of the fourth inning. Nicole Callahan reached on an error to start the inning, and after a walk and a strikeout, the second of the error of the inning brought in the first run of the game on a groundball off the bat of Jamie LaBovick. Plourde struck out the next batter, but with two outs, Palumbo recorded Fordham's first hit of the game, a single to left, to bring in two more runs.
Palumbo struck again in the top of the sixth, hitting the 0-1 pitch over the left field fence after LaBovick (double) and Beckah Wiggins (single) led off the inning with back-to-back singles, giving the Rams a 6-0 lead.
The Minutewomen threatened in the bottom of the sixth when Matthew picked up her second hit of the game and Kyllie Magill walked, both with one out, but Mineau snared Lindsey Webster's line drive and threw to first to double-off Magill and end the inning.
The Minutewomen and Rams conclude their two-game series on Saturday at noon at the UMass Softball Complex. The game can be watched on CBS 3 Now in Western Mass. and online at UMass All-Access.
