Rams Rout Saint Louis 11-0 in Five Innings to Clinch Title
For the third time in the last four years, the Fordham Rams are Atlantic 10 Champions, downing Saint Louis 11-0 in five innings on Saturday afternoon to clinch the title.
Coach Bridget Orchard and the Rams will travel to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in five years. They will find out exactly where it is they are going tomorrow night at 10 PM during the NCAA Selection Show on ESPNU.
Five Rams were named to the All-Championship Team: Michele Daubman, Elise Fortier, Gabby Luety, Kayla Lombardo and Cora Ianiro. Daubman took home Most Outstanding Player honors, compiling a 3-0 record with a 0.93 ERA over 16 innings of work.
Ianiro and Sydney Canessa each registered three RBIs in the championship victory, while Fortier and Luety each drove in a pair.
The Rams jumped on Brianna Lore in the early going, as Canessa took the third pitch of the game out to left center for her sixth home run of the year, giving the Rams a 1-0 lead. After Amy Van Hoven reached with a double to left in the next at bat, Luety brought her home a few batters later with an RBI single to center.
After Daubman set down the Billikens in the top of the second, the Rams exploded for four more runs in the home half of the frame. Paige Ortiz led the inning off with a double to left and Brianna Ciuffi entered the game to run for the Katy, Texas, native. Ciuffi moved to third on a Rachel Gillen ground out and came home on an Ianiro single to right. Canessa went down for the inning’s second out and then Van Hoven brought Ianiro home with a ground rule double to left center. With Van Hoven 120 feet from home, Fortier ensured that the West Monroe, N.Y., native could take her time coming home, launching a ball to left for the 45th home run of her career to give Fordham a 6-0 lead.
Home run number 45 ties Fortier for first place on the Fordham career home run list with Jocelyn Dearborn (’11).
The Rams then upped their production in the third, plating five runs in the inning. Luety launched career home run number 43 in the inning in the frame, while Canessa and Ianiro each brought home a pair.
Daubman closed it out over the final two innings, retiring 12 Billikens in a row and surrendering only two hits on the game.
