Feb. 27, 2005
The University of Notre Dame softball team (4-6) dropped a pair of games on day two of the Palm Springs Classic late Saturday evening, as the team’s offensive and defensive struggles continued. The Irish were dominated 9-1 in the first game of the day against #20 Pacific (9-2), then dropped a hard-fought 2-1 decision to Arizona State (11-2) in the nightcap.
For the Irish to win a game in the tournament this weekend, they will face the ultimate test. Notre Dame is slated to take on #5 Tennessee at 9 a.m. on Sunday. The Lady Vols have swept through the tournament thus far, winning all four of their contests.
Notre Dame’s first game of the day against Pacific began as a pitcher’s duel between junior Heather Booth and UP’s Alyce Jorgensen. Both starters kept each team off the board over the first three innings, but the Tigers struck first in the fourth inning. Pacific’s Ashlie D’Errico posted a one out double and scored on Crystal Presson’s home run just one out later. The home run was the first surrendered by Booth in 2005.
Notre Dame answered in the bottom of the fourth with one run after Meagan Ruthrauff doubled and scored on Sara Schoonaert’s RBI single. That would end up as the lone dangerous scoring chance for the Irish, who did manage nine hits in the game.
Pacific blew open the game in the sixth inning. With a 3-1 lead (provided by an RBI single in the fifth inning by Jennifer Curtier), Presson reached on a one-out throwing error by Irish shortstop Katie Laing and advance to second base on a wild pitch. Booth came back to get a strike out, but Brittany Hyams singled through the right side of the Irish defense and Gina Carbonatto followed with her own single, driving in the fourth and fifth Pacific runs of the game.
A fielder’s choice left the bases loaded for Curtier, who came through with a two-RBI single and the rout was on. Pacific tacked on two more runs in the top of the seventh to push the final score to 9-1.
Notre Dame then needed to collect themselves and turn around to face a tough Arizona State team. Debuting a new lineup, Irish head coach Deanna Gumpf shook up Notre Dame’s inconsistent defense by returning to the 2004 starting team – Sara Schoonaert moved from second base to shortstop, Stephanie Brown came in from rightfield to play second base, Nicole Wicks earned her first start of the year in rightfield and Mallorie Lenn returned to her usual spot as Notre Dame’s starting catcher after spending the first nine games of the year as the designated player.
The defense responded against ASU, turning the team’s second double play of the year and committing just one error. That error was costly, however.
The Irish went into the sixth inning clinging to a one-run lead, provided by a monster home run by senior Megan Ciolli in the third inning. Ciolli, the only Irish hitter to consistently be a threat this season, is now hitting .355 with one home run, six RBI and four stolen bases.
The error came into play in the sixth inning for Arizona State. Rhiannon Baca led off the inning with a slap hit to third base. Notre Dame’s Liz Hartmann, knowing that Baca is quick down the first base line, rushed her defensive play and bobbled the ball for an error. Valerie Sevilla followed for the Sun Devils and made the Irish pay for their mistake by crushing a two-run home run to provide the winning margin in the game.
Although Irish starting pitcher Steffany Stenglein did give up a home run, she pitched well enough to win the game. Battling in and out of trouble, Stenglein allowed eight hits, two runs and struck out five. She escaped further damage in the sixth inning by getting two strike outs and a ground ball with runners on second and third.
Notre Dame ran themselves out of a possible scoring chance in the sixth inning. Stephanie Brown led off with a infield single and the attempted throw to first ended up down the rightfield line. Brown, concentrating on beating out the play at first base did not break for second immediately and ASU rightfielder Ciri Bryan made a great play backing up first on the wide throw and gunning down Brown at second base for the first out of the inning. The Irish would not threaten again in the contest.