Feb. 19, 2011
Game 1: Box Score | Box Score 
Game 2: Box Score | Box Score
ORLANDO, Fla. – Brittany O’Donnell and Shannon Kelly combined to toss a one-hitter during a five-inning, 11-1 win over Delaware on day two of the UCF Invitational for the Notre Dame softball team. Their efforts followed Saturday’s 4-1 non-conference win over Illinois-Chicago at the UCF Softball Complex.
The Irish (4-0) now play Miami (Ohio) at 11:00 a.m. (ET) on Sunday in the final game of the invite.
Alexa Maldonado and Dani Miller each totaled three hits on the day as Amy Buntin, Heather Johnson and Alexia Clay chipped in a pair apiece.
Miller drove in four runs, one of four Irish players with multiple RBI across the two games.
Buntin homered and Maldonado crushed a triple, both of which were season-firsts for Notre Dame.
-Game 1-
Illinois-Chicago (4-5) gave up a pair of early runs to the Irish and never recovered, but matched Notre Dame with four hits.
Laura Winter (2-0) earned the win by tossing 5.0 innings of four-hit ball. Winter fanned six and walked one. Jackie Bowe notched the save behind 2.0 innings of hitless relief.
Three earned runs on four hits in the opening 3.1 innings bagged Ashley Hewett (3-1) with the defeat. Devin Miller did not allow a hit over the final 2.2 innings from the circle.
Maldonado began her 2-for-2 effort with a single in the first and eventually scored on Miller’s two-RBI double. Clay, who reached on a fielder’s choice, followed Maldonado across the plate on the play.
Maldonado scored again after drawing a one-out walk in the third. Clay’s shot to right was dropped by a Flames fielder and Maldonado turned on the jets to score from first.
Illinois-Chicago tallied one run in the fourth, but that scored was neutralized in the bottom half of the inning when Lauren Stuhr smacked an infield RBI-single.
-Game 2-
Delaware (0-4) gave up seven runs in the bottom half of the first and never recovered.
Maldonado led off with a single and then stole a pair of bases. Katie Fleury walked, stole second and scored along with Maldonado on Johnson’s two-RBI single to right-center. The bases soon became loaded and Brianna Jorgensborg was hit by a pitch to bring in Notre Dame’s third run. Buntin added an RBI-single, Kathryn Lux notched a sacrifice fly and Maldonado cleared the bases with her second hit of the inning – this one of the three-base variety – to plate Kasey O’Connor and Buntin. It was Notre Dame’s sixth hit of the inning.
Notre Dame totaled 10 hits in the game, six of which came off Delaware starter Hannah Rust (0-1). Rust gave up seven earned runs in 0.2 innings before giving way to Kathleen Conway. Conway fared relatively better by giving up four hits and four earned runs across 3.1 innings.
O’Donnell (1-0) was nearly flawless for Notre Dame in her 3.0 innings of action. She walked one and struck out three without giving up a hit. Kelly permitted one hit in 2.0 innings and struck out one batter.
Buntin homered to begin the third and Johnson pulled in another run with a sacrifice fly to center. Miller singled to left to drive in two more runs which made it an 11-0 contest in favor of Notre Dame.
Bertie Lake singled to right in the fifth to drive in Delaware’s lone run.
–ND–