May 10, 2008

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Top Seed Massachusetts (38-11) and Fordham (36-29) tallied victories in the third day of action at the Atlantic 10 Softball Tournament at Charlotte's Phillips Softball Complex. Massachusetts, Fordham and Charlotte (34-30) remained alive to advance to the fourth and final day of play, which will now include three games due to inclement weather delays. The first game of the day, now scheduled for 10 a.m., pins Charlotte vs. Fordham, with the winner advancing to the championship game with Massachusetts.

Game One - No. Massachusetts vs. Charlotte

Despite a trading two runs in the eighth inning, the third-seeded Charlotte 49ers (34-30) fell to top seed No. 20 Massachusetts (38-11) 5-4 in nine innings. Charlotte stayed in the running with the Minutewomen through the bottom of the ninth when Massachusetts scored on an RBI single to centerfield from Whitney Mollica.

Leadoff Whitney Williams collected two RBI on three of Massachusetts' 11 hits in the contest, while Lauren Proctor and Mollica put up two apiece and Sarah Reeves, Jessica Serio, Lindsay Maroney and Carly Normandin each tallied one.

Cee Brooks anchored the 49ers offense with one RBI on three hits, while leadoff batter Sarah Malene chipped in two runs and one RBI on two hits. Serena Smith, Jaime West and Keri Palma each contributed one hit apiece.

Massachusetts ace Brandice Balschmiter moved to 27-6 on the season, tallying 11 strikeouts in the win while holding Charlotte to four runs on eight hits. Charlotte starter Katy Hackett held the Minutewomen to four runs on nine hits through seven innings before sophomore Emily Jeffery entered the circle in relief in the eighth after a Massachusetts two-run homer. While she only gave up one hit and struck out three batters, Jeffery took the loss to move her season record to 18-12.

Malene, who reached on a triple to right center in the top of the first, opened scoring for Charlotte, driving in when Williams reached first on an infield throwing error. Massachusetts evened the score when Williams homered the left field in the bottom of the inning, but Charlotte pushed back ahead in the top of the second when Palma single up the middle, advancing to second on an infield error and reaching third on a strikeout by Kendra McCall before an RBI single to third base from Malene would bring her home. Charlotte held on to the 2-0 advantage through the bottom of the seventh when the Minutewomen pushed in Normandin from second base off a Williams RBI single up the middle to push the game into extra innings.

Charlotte attached immediately in the eighth, when Malene, who reached on an error by the Massachusetts second baseman, was pushed home by a Williams sacrifice bunt, a Smith single through the right side and a Brooks RBI single through the left side. Smith crossed the plate for the second run of the inning, stealing second and advancing to third on Brooks' single before coming home on an outfield throwing error.

Massachusetts answered when a walked Samantha Salato was sent home by a Reeves bomb over the center field fence. Charlotte attempted to put the Minutewomen away for good in the ninth but three consecutive outs and Mollica's RBI single to bring in Proctor ended the game.

Game Two - Fordham vs. St. Bonaventure

After nearly two hours of lighting delays and record-tying thirteen innings of action, fourth-seeded Fordham (36-29) eliminated fifth-seeded St. Bonaventure (20-25) 8-2. Fordham, who set or tied four Atlantic 10 tournament records, scattered a championship-record 19 hits, with eight out of the nine starting batters posted at least one apiece, with six contributing at least two.

"It's the longest game I've been apart of--our girls kept battling," Fordham head coach Bridget Orchard said. "After the first lighting delay, we finally started getting the bats going. I wish it could have happened sooner."

Meghan Shager drove in the game-winning run in the top of the 13th, singling to center field to bring in Samantha Pellechio. Mary Beth Puccio anchored the Fordham offense with four hits, tying her for the championship record, while Shager, Erin Fisher and Stephanie Mott each put up three. Jocelyn Dearborn and Pellechio chipped in two apiece, and Melissa Andrews and Allison Storc rounded out the offense with one hit.

Fordham's 19 hits rewrites the league record of 18 hits in one game set by Rutgers in 1984, while Fisher's two doubles ties the championship game record. Five Rams batters (Andrews, Shager, Puccio, Dearborn and Pellechio) also tied the championship game record for at-bats with seven apiece.

St. Bonaventure picked up six hits in the game, splitting between Kathryn Pazda, Andrea Swanger, Kara Morenus, Patricia McKeon, Ashley Kotz and Shelly Seeger.

Nicole Ayres collected the win in nine innings of relief for starter Allison Twarowski, walking no batters, tallying seven strikeouts and limiting the Bonnies to three hits, to move to 11-9 on the season.

"They [Ayres and Twarowski] have been great," Orchard said. "They come hard at you. They're a good one-two combo and I'm looking forward to bringing them out tomorrow."

Sherri Thompson took the loss for St. Bonaventure on nine strikeouts, closing out the season 16-12.

St. Bonaventure broke open scoring in the bottom of the third when Swanger singled to center field to drive in Seeger on the throw before building a two-run lead in the fourth off a Patricia McKeon RBI single. Fordham quickly responded in the top of the fifth, though, as Dearborn scored on a Fisher double to center field while an unanswered Fordham run from Campbell in the sixth pushed the game into extra innings.

The teams remained tied through the top of the 13th, with Fordham leaving eight runners on base, five in scoring position. The Rams broke open the deadlock with a Pellechio single to center field to lead off the last inning, followed by a Fisher double to right center and Shager's game winning RBI single. Fordham eventually built a six-run advantage to take into the bottom of the inning off Twaroski reaching on an infield error, a Puccio RBI single down the leftfield line, Storc ground out and Dearborn single down the leftfield line.

After the second lighting delay of the game, St. Bonaventure was retired with one left on base on a groundout to third base.