March 16, 2011
Game 1: Box Score | Box Score 
Game 2: Box Score | Box Score
FULLERTON, Calif. – Freshman Laura Winter limited No. 9 Oklahoma to one run as the Notre Dame softball team upended the Sooners, 2-1, Wednesday at Anderson Family Field to open the Judi Garman Classic. The Irish ended the day with a five-inning, 10-0 loss to host Cal State Fullerton.
The win over Oklahoma was the first for Notre Dame over a top 10 opponent since 2009, as that victory was also against (then) ninth-ranked Oklahoma during the same tournament. Notre Dame won that contest by a single run, 4-3.
Notre Dame returns to action Thursday for a matchup against No. 19 Louisiana-Lafayette at 5:30 p.m. (PT). Live stats will be available at UND.com.
-Game 1-
Oklahoma (22-6) trailed, 2-1, in the bottom of the seventh and had runners on the corners with Jessica Shults at the plate with two outs. Shults, who entered the contest with 15 of her previous 34 hits clearing the fence, grounded out to first base to end the game. Shults left four runners on base and failed to add to her team-high 47 RBI.
Winter (7-0) scattered nine hits but allowed only one run – a second-inning solo homer by Keilani Ricketts – while striking out seven batters with one walk. Winter’s complete-game effort moved her ERA for the season to 0.49, the best in the BIG EAST Conference. She was backed by an Irish defense that stranded nine Sooner runners on base.
With a fastball maxing out at 75 miles per hour, Ricketts (12-3) fanned nine Irish batters and gave up one earned run on six hits. Two of those hits came off the bat of Dani Miller.
Notre Dame (15-3) surrendered its first triple of the season in the bottom of the first to Brianna Turang, and Jessica Schultz moved to second on a wild pitch after reaching base courtesy of a walk. Brittany Williams’ deep ball to left ended the inning with two runners in scoring position.
Miller singled up middle for Notre Dame’s first hit before Ricketts helped her own cause with a solo home run in the bottom half of the frame. Again, the Sooners left two runners in scoring position.
Notre Dame made its move in the third beginning with an Alexia Clay single through the left side. Brianna Jorgensborg reached on a fielder’s choice which retired Clay, and went on to steal second base. Alexa Maldonado’s infield chopper was thrown to an unoccupied first base which allowed Jorgensborg to score from second. The tally to tie the game ended Ricketts’ scoreless streak from the circle at 45.1 innings.
Consecutive singles by Miller and Amy Buntin in the fourth set the stage for Notre Dame’s game-winning run. Miller would later be retired on a grounder by Clay, and Jorgensborg doubled to right with two away to bring home Buntin. Clay nearly scored on the play but was gunned down at the dish on a banger.
Oklahoma would go on to record four hits while being held scoreless for the rest of the game. The Sooners committed a pair of errors.
Turang, Chana’e Jones and Dani Dobbs each had two hits for Oklahoma.
-Game 2-
The Irish appeared drained after the emphatic win over Oklahoma, giving up 14 hits and recording three of their own. Notre Dame suffered its first true road loss of the season and snapped its six-game winning streak. Cal State Fullerton (8-11) became the first opponent this season to score more than four runs.
Nicole Johnson slammed a one-out double to the rightfield fence in the third and Ari Cervantes singled through the left side to give the Titans a one-run lead. Ariel Tsuchiyama placed her first career home run over the rightfield fence to stretch that lead to 4-0, the seventh hit of the contest for the home squad.
Cal State Fullerton added two unearned scores to round out the six-run inning.
After giving up four earned runs on nine hits in 2.2 innings, Jody Valdivia (5-2) was replaced by Brittany O’Donnell. O’Donnell finished the final 1.1 frames and struck out one. She was tagged for four runs on five hits.
Miller, Jackie Bowe and Kasey O’Connor each had hits for Notre Dame.
The Titans received two hits apiece from Ashley Carter, K.C. Craddick, Cervantes, Torrie Anderson and Adriana Martinez.
Cervantes (7-5) got the win after hurling 4.0 frames of scoreless three-hit ball.
–ND–