HARRISONBURG, Va. -- The Fordham softball team opened the 2015 NCAA Division I Championship with a 12-5 loss Friday to North Carolina State in the Harrisonburg Regional at Veterans Memorial Park. With the loss, the Rams fall to 36-19 on the season and play an elimination game Saturday at 4:30 p.m. against the loser of the James Madison/Binghamton game. It also snaps Fordham's 11-game win streak. The Wolfpack improve to 36-20 overall and play the winner of the James Madison/Binghamton game at 2 p.m. Saturday.
After spotting second-seeded NC State a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first, the Rams scored four times in the top of the second to take a 4-1 lead. Redshirt junior
Rachel Gillen shipped the first pitch of the inning well over the right field fence to tie the contest on her sixth home run of the season.
Senior
Paige Ortiz followed with a single deep in the hole at shortstop, before senior
Michele Daubman grounded into a fielder's choice to shortstop, but everyone was safe on the play when the second baseman dropped the ball. Senior
Cora Ianiro then loaded the bases with a single to right field, and fellow classmate
Brianna Turgeon advanced Fordham in front, 3-1, with a two-run single that plated junior
Cailin Winokur.
The next batter, sophomore
Sydney Canessa, popped up to the pitcher for the first out, but on the play the pitcher tried to throw out Turgeon, who was caught too far off second base, but the toss was errant, and allowed Ianiro to score the fourth and final run of the frame.
The Wolfpack answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second and one more in the third to tie the game at 4-4. But the Rams responded in the top of the fourth when sophomore
Lindsay Mayer got all of a 1-2 pitch and deposited it over the center field fence for her seventh big fly of the season, which briefly produced a 5-4 lead for Fordham.
The Wolfpack then took control of the game in the bottom of the fourth when they scored six runs, with only one being earned, and took advantage of three Ram errors in the inning. Senior
Michele Daubman relieved Gillen to start the bottom of the fourth and induced a groundout to Turgeon at shortstop. She then struck out the next batter, but a wild pitch on the play allowed the batter to reach first base. Daubman then registered a groundout to third base, as Mayer stepped on the hot corner for out number two, but sailed her throw to first that would have ended the inning.
Instead NC State had runners on second and third with two outs, and a two-run double from Meredith Burroughs down the left line gave the Wolfpack the lead for good at 6-5. Back-to-back errors from Turgeon and sophomore
Amy Van Hoven extended the inning more, resulting in another run, while two more singles capped the scoring and gave the Wolfpack a comfortable 10-5 lead after four innings.
NC State would go on to add two more runs in the fifth, before cruising to the 12-5 victory.
Gillen received a no-decision in the circle after allowing four earned runs on five hits over 3.0 innings of work. She walked two, hit a batter and fanned three. Daubman (11-9) was the tough-luck loser in the circle. She was touched up for six runs (one earned) on four hits, walked none and fanned one. Junior
Patti Maloney tossed the final two innings, and allowed two earned runs on two hits to go along with one walk and one strikeout.
The offense finished with nine hits, with Van Hoven and Gillen each collecting a pair. Five different players scored a run, and Turgeon finished with two RBI.
Emily Weiman (29-15) earned the victory after tossing 4.2 innings. She allowed five runs (four earned) on eight hits while walking one and whiffing five. Courtney Mirabella pitched one-hit ball over the final 2.1 innings, walked none and struck out three.
The Wolfpack, who committed four errors on defense, finished with 11 hits. Renada Davis, Tyler Ross, Burroughs, Maggie Hawkins and Hannah Yeager each had two apiece. Davis, Hawkins and Alyssa Compton all scored twice, while Davis, Molly Hutchinson, Burroughs, Hawkins and Yeager finished with two RBI.
Â
