May 7, 2008

Box Score

CHARLOTTE, NC - The fifth-seeded Saint Joseph's softball team dropped its opening-round game of the Atlantic 10 Championship to fourth-seeded Fordham Rams, 1-0, Wednesday afternoon at Phillips Field. The Hawks, who will take on either Saint Louis or Charlotte at 6 p.m. today, are faced with a must-win situation in the tournament's double-elimination format.

It was a pitcher's duel between Saint Joseph's starting pitcher Dani Gonzales and Fordham's Allison Twarowski to start the A-10 Championship, as the hurlers allowed a combined four base runners over the first four innings.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Rams broke the 0-0 tie, scoring the game's lone run. With runners at first and second, Fordham's Meghan Shager drilled a one-out single to center field off Gonzales. Jocelyn Dearborn came around to score from second base, beating out the relay to home by Saint Joseph's.

With Fordham threatening, Gonzales kept her composure, striking out Erin Fisher and got Stephanie Mott to ground out to end the Fordham threat.

Trailing by one, the Hawks had their shot in the top of the seventh as Atlantic 10 Player of the Year Brooke Darreff hit a leadoff double to center field. Darreff advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by senior Kelsey Moir, but failed to come around to score as Twarowski got the next two Hawks to ground out to end the game.

Darreff, Moir freshman shortstop Dana Bieniek and junior Erika Rosenwinkel combined for Saint Joseph's four hits, while Gonzales was the hard-luck loser, striking out five over six innings, while allowing just one run on four hits and no walks.