April 16, 2000
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The 18th-ranked Notre Dame softball team got back into the win column Sunday with a 4-2 victory over visiting Loyola University Chicago at Ivy Field. The Irish moved to 34-10 overall, while the Ramblers fell to 16-14 after the two teams decided to play just one game of their scheduled doubleheader.
The Irish scored the first run of the game when sophomore Jennifer Kriech (Indianapolis, Ind.) reached on an error and then came around to score on freshman Andrea Loman’s (Riverside, Calif.) RBI double to center field. Notre Dame then tacked on another run in the top of the second when sophomore Jarrah Myers (Carbondale, Kan.) hit her seventh home run of the season and her second in as many days over the right field fence.
The Ramblers would not go down easily, however, tying the score at 2-2 in the top of the third inning on a RBI double by Kara McEldowney and a RBI single up the middle by Yasmin Kahn all with two outs. Irish relief pitcher Michelle Moschel (Naples, Fla.) then replaced starter Melanie Alkire (Union City, Calif.) in the circle, striking out catcher Susan Scott to end the inning.
Notre Dame kept its scoring streak alive with a run in the third when Loman walked, stole second and scored on junior Lizzy Lemire’s (Irvine, Calif.) sacrifice fly to right field to make the score, 3-2. Lemire and Loman paired up again in the fifth inning when Loman singled with one out, moved to third on a single through the right side by freshman Andria Bledsoe (Higley, Ariz.) and scored on Lemire’s single to left field.
The Irish offense gave Moschel some breathing room in the bottom of the sixth, tagging on four runs, including two on a RBI single to second base by Lemire, which took an unnatural bounce over the head of second baseman Kahn.
Moschel, who earned her ninth win of the season (9-4), kept the Ramblers off the scoreboard, pitching four and a 1/3 strong innings with six strikeouts. Loyola pitcher Erin Smith took the loss to drop to 8-7.
Notre Dame plays host to a doubleheader versus Indiana State Tuesday and a single game against Oakland Thursday with both beginning at 4 p.m. The Irish then finish up the weekend with a BIG EAST doubleheader at Pittsburgh, Saturday, April 22.