May 10, 2007
Box Score
May 10, 2007
AMHERST, Mass. - Fordham (39-18) took advantage of
Saint Louis pitching mistakes and defensive miscues as it
claimed a 10-2 five-inning win over the Billikens on day two
of the Atlantic 10 Softball Championship in Amherst, Mass.
SLU (27-32) will play the winner of the Charlotte/Temple
contest tomorrow at 11 a.m. (CT).
Saint Louis jumped all over Fordham starting pitcher Nicole
Ayres in the top of the first. Rachel Heet reached on a
one-out double to left center and Christy Ernst joined her
on the base paths by drawing a two-out walk. Shana
Richard then smacked a high chopper toward the second baseman,
who committed an error allowing Heet to score and Ernst to
go to third. Annie Dillinger then singled through the right
side to plate the Billikens' second run.
The Rams fought back immediately by cutting the SLU lead to
one in the bottom of the first. Fordham put two runners in
scoring position after a pair of singles and an illegal
pitch by the Bills' Ashley Levan moved each of the runners
up a base. An Allison Twarowski single up the middle brought
in the Rams' run.
Fordham tied things up quickly in the third as Krystle
Henry beat out the throw for a leadoff single. Melissa
Andrews then stroked an RBI triple over Dillinger's head
in centerfield for the tie. A Billiken error on the infield
helped Fordham take the lead one batter later when Andrews
crossed. Following a strikeout, the Rams put another runner
on courtesy of a SLU error. Erin Fisher then hit a towering
home run over the scoreboard in left field to make it 6-2.
SLU reliever Lorena Floccari didn't fare much better than
Levan as she issued a leadoff walk in the fourth and Andrews
doubled down the left field line to put a pair in scoring
position. Twarowski then flew out to Dillinger in center for
the first out but it was deep enough that the runner was
able to score from third on the sacrifice fly. Floccari
struck out the ensuing batter but another Billiken error put
Rams on the corners with two outs. Then Fisher and Mary Beth
Puccio hit back-to-back RBI singles to put SLU in a 9-2
hole.
Andrews doubled down the left field line with two outs in
the fifth and came around to score on Tawarowski's hit to
the outfield to end the game courtesy of the eight-run rule.
Levan (12-10) shouldered the loss as she scattered six
hits and six runs while striking out one. Ayres improved to
17-4 with the victory. She fanned three, walked two and
surrendered three hits.
Heet recorded two of SLU's three hits, while Dillinger
tallied the remaining hit. Fordham's Andrews went
4-for-4 with a pair of doubles and a triple.
