Third-Seeded Softball Squad Dropped 8-2 By Second-Seeded Fordham

Thursday, May 9

Amherst, Mass.

12:30 p.m.

Temple University

Fordham

Photo by: Mitchell Leff

Third-Seeded Softball Squad Dropped 8-2 By Second-Seeded Fordham

5.9.13 | Softball

Box Score

AMHERST, Mass. – The third-seeded Temple softball team faced off against second-seeded Fordham on Thursday afternoon in the second round of the Atlantic 10 Championship at Elaine Sortino Field on the Massachusetts campus, falling 8-2 to the Rams.

Fordham (33-20) struck first in the second inning with five runs. Gabby Luety led off the inning with a double before an error and a walk loaded the bases. Brianna Turgeon plated the first run of the game with an RBI single up the middle. Paige Ortiz then made it a 5-0 game with one swing of the bat, belting a grand slam over the left centerfield fence.

Ortiz delivered again in the bottom of the fourth, driving in another run with a long single past the glove of a diving Ali Robinson in left centerfield that scored Kayla Lombardo, who had reached on a leadoff walk. One out later, Jamie LaBovick hit a sacrifice fly to right field to increase the lead to 7-0 in favor of the higher seed.

The Owls (31-25) finally got something going in the top of the fifth, scoring once on three hits to break up the shutout. Prezioso legged out a two-out single to second base to get a rally started. Robinson followed with her second hit of the game, a single through the left side, to put runners on first and second for Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and the nation's best RBI producer, Stephanie Pasquale. The catcher came through, singling past a diving third baseman to bring around the speedy Prezioso from second for a 7-1 score.

The Rams got another one back in the sixth on Chelsea Palumbo's groundout to first, scoring Sammi Smith. Smith had reached with a sacrifice bunt and advanced to third on LaBovick's single to right field.

Prezioso made it a six-run game with a one-out solo homerun in the top of the seventh, cutting it to 8-2, but pitcher Michelle Daubman got two groundouts to end the game. The homer for Prezioso was her 15^th of the year, tying Robinson for the Temple single-season record and also giving her a TU career record tying 28 in just three seasons.

Kelsey Dominik (15-7) went 4.0 innings in the loss, giving up six hits and seven runs, only five earned, striking out one and walking three. Jessica Mahoney pitched 2.0 innings of relief, allowing three hits and one run, and fanning one. Daubman (17-7) earned the complete-game victory, allowing six hits, walking three and striking out six.

Prezioso and Robinson were both 2-for-4 in the contest. Pasquale (1-for-4) and Devynne Nelons (1-for-3) collected Temple's other two hits.

Temple moves into the consolation bracket and will face the winner of the #4 George Washington vs. #5 Saint Louis game, in progress right now, tomorrow at 12:30 p.m.

For more information on Temple softball, visit www.facebook.com/Temple-University-Softball, and www.twitter.com/Temple_Softball.