April 29, 2006
The University of Notre Dame softball team (34-15) split a key BIG EAST Conference doubleheader with South Florida (42-21) on a windy and warm Saturday afternoon in Tampa. The Irish hold onto first place in the BIG EAST with a 14-2 conference mark, while USF is now 12-2 in league play. Notre Dame’s challenging weekend schedule will continue tomorrow with a doubleheader at #21/22 Louisville.
Junior Stephanie Brown, who entered the weekend leading the BIG EAST in hitting, continued her stellar play against USF. She hit a grand slam in game one to put the Irish ahead to stay, then followed up with a four-for-four performance in game two. Sophomore Katie Laing, a former high school teammate of Brown’s, was equally solid at the plate. Laing finished the two games five for eight with an RBI and two runs scored.
Senior Meagan Ruthrauff was also solid on offense, going three for seven in the two games with and RBI.
Senior Heather Booth picked up the victory in game one; scattering nine hits and allowing four runs (two earned) with five strikeouts. Freshman Brittney Bargar struggled in game two, lasting just 3 1/3 innings and giving up six runs (five earned) and three walks.
GAME ONE RECAP:
The Irish jumped out to a big lead in the top of the second with two key extra base hits. Laing led off the inning with a single to leftfield and scored when junior Carissa Jaquish doubled into the right-centerfield gap. After freshman Erin Glasco struck out, Gessica Hufnagle posted an infield single when USF third base Krista Holle held the ball too long looking Jaquish back to second base.
Stephanie Mola followed up by drawing her first walk of the season to load the bases for Brown. After looking at a few pitches, Brown drilled an opposite field grand slam for four RBI and sixth home run of the year.
Unfortunately for the Irish, the five-run cushion would not last long as USF came back to post four runs of their own in the bottom of the second inning. A leadoff hit, followed by a strikeout and single through the left side put runners on first and second. Booth came back to get a strikeout and reach two outs, but USF rotated back to the top of its lineup.
Britta Giddens drew a walk to load the bases for Samantha Ray, who came through with a two-RBI single to rightfield. Giddens advanced to third base on the play and she scored on a passed ball to cut the Irish lead to two runs. Glasco then threw wide of home plate to Booth covering after the passed ball, which allowed Ray the opportunity to advance all the way to third base. That play would prove to be crucial as Christie Chapman stepped in next and singled through the left side for the fourth USF run of the inning.
Booth stopped the bleeding with a ground ball to shortstop, but USF had successfully grabbed the momentum back after Brown’s big hit.
After two uneventful innings in the third and fourth, Notre Dame tacked on two important insurance runs to their lead in the top of the fifth – helped by two USF errors. Sara Schoonaert led off and hit the ball hard, but straight at USF shortstop Christie Chapman who watched the ball go straight through her legs for a fielding error.
Linda Kohan stepped in next and laid down a sacrifice bunt attempt, but USF’s Nicole Christensen’s throw to first was high and both runners reached on the play. Ruthrauff made the Bulls pay for the errors with an RBI single to rightfield. She moved to second on the play at home, while Schoonaert scored and pinch runner Brittany Glynn moved to third.
The Irish had a chance to break the game open with runners on second and third, but Christensen came back to get a pop out from Laing and foul out from Jaquish to reach two outs. Glasco stepped in next and made up for her previous defensive gaffe with a solid single to rightfield.
Glynn easily scored on the play, but Ruthrauff was thrown out at the plate from rightfield to end the inning. The Irish had provided Booth with a three-run cushion, however.
Booth would hold the lead over the final two innings in the contest. USF did post two leadoff hits in the bottom of the fifth, but Glasco cut down a runner at third attempting to steal to snuff out the scoring opportunity. The Bulls also had two runners on in the bottom of the seventh with one out, but Booth induced a fly out and ground out to end the inning and give the Irish a big game-one victory.
GAME TWO RECAP:
Freshman Brittney Bargar did not bring her best stuff to Tampa for her game two pitching appearance. Failing to retire each lead off batter in the first, second, third and fourth innings, USF touched the rookie for nine hits and six runs over the first four innings. Big hits were delivered by Giddens (a two-RBI single) and Tiffany Stewart (a bases clearing three-RBI double in the fourth inning).
The Irish offense also had trouble compiling any offense against USF game two starter Christi Ecks. Over the first five innings of the game, the Irish could manage just six scattered hits, two from Brown and struck out five times.
The lone scoring opportunity for the Irish came in the top of the fifth when Stephanie Mola singled with two outs and Brown followed with her third hit of the game – a single down the rightfield line. Ecks came back to strikeout Schoonaert on four pitches to end the inning.
Notre Dame’s frustration finally ended in the top of the sixth inning when the team strung together a run of hits. With one out, Ruthrauff, Laing and Jaquish all singled to load the bases for Glasco. The freshman catcher came through with a double into the left-centerfield gap to drive in two runs and cut the USF lead to five runs. The hit streak ended when Hufnagle grounded out to the pitcher and Mola struck out looking to end the inning.
The Irish tacked on another run in the top of the seventh inning when Brown led off with her fourth hit of the game. She scored on an RBI single from Laing.
Notre Dame walked off the field with a loss in game two, but the Irish ended up out-hitting the Bulls 12-11.