Feb. 11, 2005
The University of Notre Dame softball team (0-1) dropped its first game of the season to #19 Florida (8-0) 3-2 on Friday, Feb. 11. A one-run rally by the Irish in the top of the seventh was short lived, as the home team scored on a fielder’s choice ground ball in the bottom of the inning. The game was the first for the Irish this season, who will face #21 South Florida at 4 p.m. on Friday.
Notre Dame out-hit the Gators 4-3, but two of Florida’s three hits left the park off the bat of leftfielder Lindsey Cameron. Her home run in the fourth inning tied the game at 1-1, while her solo shot in the bottom of the sixth put her team ahead.
The Irish rallied in the top of the seventh when junior Meagan Ruthrauff led off with a single, pinch runner Nicole Wicks followed by moving to second on a sacrifice bunt and eventually ended up on third after a ground out. Pinch hitter Carrie Wisen allowed Wicks to score when her hard ground ball was misplayed by Florida shortstop Lauren Roussell.
The first three innings of the game ended up scoreless as Notre Dame starting pitcher Steffany Stenglein (6.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 7 K) and Florida starter Stacy Stevens (7.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 5 K) matched each other pitch for pitch. Notre Dame scratched across a run in the top of the fourth when senior Megan Ciolli led off with a single and Ruthrauff doubled down the leftfield line, allowing Ciolli to score easily. Ruthrauff was thrown out at third base on the play.
Florida tied the game up on a Cameron home run in the fourth inning, then went ahead on another shot by Cameron in the sixth.
The Gators responded to Notre Dame’s rally in the seventh after a lead off walk was issued to Roussell. Nikki Baldwin followed with a single and both runners were moved over on a sacrifice bunt. Irish head coach Deanna Gumpf called on Heather Booth in relief, but Florida’s Lindsay Northfleet came through with a fielder’s choice ground out to short stop. Notre Dame’s Katie Laing knocked the ball down and threw home, but missed the runner by two steps. Roussell dove into home plate to score the winning run and extend Florida’s program-best start to 8-0 on the season.
Stenglein suffers her first loss of the season, while Stevens moves to 4-0.