May 12, 2007
SOUTH BEND, Ind.- Notre Dame’s softball team (31-22) lost a 3-2 heartbreaker to Louisville (36-23) in the championship game of the BIG EAST Tournament on Saturday, May 12. The Cardinals plated a late run in the sixth inning to take the lead for good, after the Irish had tied the game up with two in the top half of the inning.
Sophomore Brittney Bargar (Corona, Calif./Corona) (22-13) had a solid performance in the Irish loss. She threw her 26th complete game of the season and limited the Cardinals attack to three runs with six strikeouts.
Senior Stephanie Brown (Chandler, Ariz./Corona del Sol) led off the Irish first with a walk. A Gessica Hufnagle (Middlebury, Ind./Northridge) sacrifice moved her to second. A fly out and a ground out ended the frame with Brown stranded though.
The Cardinals dented the scoreboard first with a pair in the first inning. Audrey Rendon was hit by pitch to lead off the frame. She moved to second on a sacrifice and came into score on Courtney Moore’s 11th home run of the season.
Louisville, after Kristen Wadwell had retired the first 13 to start the game made a pitching change to Kassie Stanfill in the fifth inning. Stanfill retired the first batter before sophomore Beth Northway (Kentwood, Mich./East Kentwood) singled to center for the first Irish hit of the afternoon.
Bargar, after the early trouble retired eight in a row before Candi Hicks reached on a one-out infield single. Rendon then followed with a single to left to move Hicks to second. Bargar refocused herself and recorded a strikeout of Melissa Roth and induced Moore to ground out to end the threat.
Junior Sarah Smith (Oklahoma City, Okla./Heritage Hall) started the sixth with single off the glove of Hicks into left field. Brown then pushed a single into short right-center field to put two runners aboard. Hufnagle then laid down a sacrifice bunt; Standfill’s throw was low allowing Hufnagle to reach and Smith to scamper home. The next batter Laing popped out to the pitcher, but the Irish runner on first took off for second, as she attempted to stay out of the double play and was doubled off of first. Heather Johnson (Los Alamitos, Calif./Mater Dei) came through with the big hit of the inning as she pounded a single into left to score Brown with the tying run.
The Cardinals took the lead with a run in the bottom of the sixth. Kristi Cunningham started the trouble with an infield single. She moved to second on a sacrifice and third on a pass ball. Brooke McCrain delivered the big blow with the inning as she singled through the right side to score Cunningham with the third run and final run of the game.
The Irish put up a fight in the top of the seventh as Christine Lux (Glendale Heights, Ill./Glenbard West) led off with a double. She took third on Northway’s sacrifice. After a tough check swing strikeout, Cardinal reliever Catherine Bishop struck out the final batter for her seventh save of the season. The win went to reliever Stanfill (14-5) who went 1.2 with four hits and two runs allowed but neither was earned.
Notre Dame now anxiously awaits word on a possible at large berth by the NCAA Committee. The official word will be held during the selection show to be held on Sunday, May 13 at 3:00 p.m. on ESPN News.