Feb. 18, 2005
The University of Notre Dame softball team (4-2) had to wait for six hours, but the team earned its first win of the Campbell-Cartier Tournament at San Diego State with a 3-2 victory over Utah (5-4) on Friday afternoon.
Due to heavy rains Thursday evening, the tournament was pushed back, as the Irish and Utes were scheduled to play at 9 a.m. on Friday. There are other changes to the tournament schedule as well. Notre Dame will face #4/3 UCLA at 12 noon on Saturday, followed by a matchup with San Diego State at 4 p.m. A matchup with Fresno State, previously scheduled for 9:30 p.m. on Friday night has been cancelled. Also, due to a last minute pull out by Long Beach State, the Irish will face Central Michigan at 9 a.m. on Sunday.
Friday’s game featured a dominating pitching performance by senior Steffany Stenglein and solid hitting at the top of the lineup by sophomore Stephanie Brown, senior Megan Ciolli and junior Kellie Middleton. Stenglein posted her second-consecutive 10 strikeout performance by sitting down 11 Utes in six innings. Brown ended up two for two with two runs scored an a triple while Ciolli went two for three with two doubles and two RBI.
Notre Dame scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning and led the rest of the game. Utah pulled close on a two-run home run by Ivette Hernandez in the top of the sixth inning off reliever Carrie Wisen, but Stenglein reentered in the seventh inning to shut the door on the Utes and pick up her second victory of the year.
Brown led off the bottom of the first with a single to leftfield and scored when Megan Ciolli’s double landed at the base of the wall in right field. Ciolli also drove in junior Kellie Middleton, who had reached on a fielding error.
The Irish tacked on an insurance run in the fourth inning when Brown posted a two-out triple down the leftfield line. She scored on a solid RBI single from Middleton.
Briana Gourdin took the loss for Utah, working all six innings, surrendering seven hits, three runs and just one strike out.