May 18, 2007
EVANSTON, Ill.- Notre Dame’s softball team (31-23) lost a 2-1 heartbreaker to Illinois State (43-15-1) in its first game of the NCAA Softball Tournament on Friday, May 18 in Evanston, Ill. The Irish will now play in the loser bracket against either No. 6/6 Northwestern/Wright State at 1:30 (CT) on May 19.
Sophomore Brittney Bargar (Corona, Calif./Corona) pitched well for Notre Dame in defeat, as she allowed only two runs (one allowed) with five strikeouts in throwing her 27th complete game of the season.
Junior Katie Laing (Chandler, Ariz./Corona del Sol) gave the Irish a two-out chance to score in the first with a double to the gap in right-center field, but a ground out ended the inning for Notre Dame.
Kara Nelson led off the Illinois State lineup with an infield single. After a strikeout, she then stole second but another strikeout sandwiched around a walk and groundout ended the inning for the Redbirds.
Freshman Christine Lux (Glendale Heights, Ill./Glenbard West) started the Irish second with a one-out walk. Beth Northway (Kentwood, Mich./East Kentwood) then reached on an infield single to the shortstop to put two runner aboard. Illinois State starter Shannon Nicholson was on her game though and got out the inning with back-to-back groundouts.
The Redbirds threatened in the second and would have scored if not for a batted ball that hit a runner. After both Kaprice Williams and Jackie Williams reached with two outs, Nelson hit a ball that was headed through the right side and into right field until it hit the runner, Jackie Williams, as she headed for second. A hit was credited to Nelson, but Jackie Williams was recorded as the third out of the inning allowing Bargar to escape the inning unscored upon.
Bargar recorded the first one, two, three inning in the third inning with two groundouts and a strikeout.
Notre Dame plated a run in the fourth inning. Freshman Heather Johnson (Los Alamitos, Calif./Mater Dei) led off the Irish fourth with a leadoff single. Junior Brittany Glynn (Seymour, Conn./St. Joseph’s) pinch ran for Johnson and moved to second on sophomore Linda Kohan’s (Westminster, Calif./Westminster) sacrifice. Lux then lifted a ball to center that was misplayed by Illinois State allowing Glynn to score from second. After a ground out, senior Carissa Jaquish (Highland, Calif./Redlands East Valley) smoked a ball to third that Nelson stabbed preventing further damage in the inning.
The Redbirds tied the game with a run in the fourth inning. Jessie Buker was a hit by a pitch to start the inning. Andrea Shiflett ran for Buker and moved to second and then third on two groundouts. Kaprice Williams then legged out an infield single to score Shiflett from third and tie the game at one all.
Illinois State scored the go-ahead run in the fifth inning. Nelson reached first, for the third time in the game, on an error from the Notre Dame shortstop to start the frame. She moved to second on a sacrifice and came in to score the second run on Amber Smith’s double down the right-field line.
Johnson started an attempted Notre Dame rally in the sixth with a walk. She moved to second on a ground out. Lux then singled into center, Johnson was sent home on the play and was thrown out on a great throw from Jackie Williams to end the inning.
Notre Dame returns to action to play against the loser of the Wayne State game at 1:30 p.m. (CT) in an elimination game on May 19.