May 15, 2004
The University of Notre Dame softball team (48-18) lost its fourth straight game to Seton Hall (44-17) 5-2 (eight innings) in the BIG EAST Championship on Saturday, giving the Pirates their first-ever BIG EAST Championship. Seton Hall becomes just the second BIG EAST team to defeat Notre Dame four times in a row and the first to accomplish that feat in one season.
Seton Hall will move on to the NCAA Championship with an automatic invitation, while Notre Dame will await a possible at-large invitation on Sunday night.
Notre Dame fought back to tied the game on their final out in the bottom of the seventh while trailing 2-1, when Stephanie Brown drilled her seventh home run of the year to tie the school freshman home run record. The Irish could not sustain the momentum, however, as they surrendered three runs in the top of the eighth inning on three consecutive infield hits.
The game was also the longest of the season, the longest in BIG EAST Championship history and one of the longest in Notre Dame softball history. A rainstorm hit in the fifth inning, forcing a four-hour, nine-minute delay that pushed the final complete time of the game from start to finish to six hours, 22 minutes.
Heather Booth suffered her eighth loss of the season in relief, allowing six hits and three runs in 3.2 innings. BIG EAST Championship Most Outstanding Player Megan Meyer won the game for Seton Hall in relief, allowing four hits and one run in 3.2 innings.
The Irish were led on offense by Brown, who ended up four for four in the game with her home run. Liz Hartmann was three for four with a run scored.
GAME RECAP:
The Irish compiled a scoring chance in the first inning when Stephanie Brown led off with a solid single up the middle and Nicole deFau moved her over to second base with a sacrifice bunt. Brown found herself at third with two outs when Ciolli grounded out back to Seton Hall starting pitcher Casey McDevitt.
McDevitt escaped the inning with a strikeout of Mallorie Lenn.
The lead off runner reached for Seton Hall in the top of the second when Mary Carroll Smith was struck by a 2-1 pitch. She was picked off on a fielder’s choice from third to second to get the first out. The second out came via a fly ball to leftfield by Akoua Longergan. Liz Hartmann then made a great stab of a Caitlin White liner at third base for the third out of the inning.
Yet another scoring chance came Notre Dame’s way in the bottom of the second after a lead off single by Hartmann – but the Irish could not get the run home once again. Meagan Ruthrauff moved her to second base with a bunt, followed by Nicole Wicks just missing out on a bunt single. With Hartmann at third with two outs, designated player Carrie Wisen popped up the first pitch she was offered to shortstop to end the inning.
Seton Hall found their lead off hitter on base again in the third inning when Anne Leone drove a deep ball to one-hop the wall in leftfield. The Irish quickly threw the ball back to the infield to hold Leone to a very long single. Leone was replaced by pinch runner Traci Myhren, who was cut down by a fielder’s choice at second on a nice play in the left side hole by Irish shortstop Sara Schoonaert.
Stenglein moved to two outs with a great 2-2 offering to D’arcy Djakolovic, getting a called third strike on the inside corner. McKenzie Richards, who reached on the fielder’s choice, stole second base and moved to third on a throwing error by Lenn.
The count moved to 3-1 against SHU’s top hitter, Laura Taylor, with a runner at third. Stenglein got her to offer at an outside pitch to reach 3-2, then struck her out with another great inside pitch to end the inning.
The third Irish scoring opportunity was lost in the bottom of the third inning. With one out, Brown posted an infield single and stole second base. DeFau followed with a ground ball to second, with Katie Pierce fielding it cleanly and tossing to first base for the out. Brown took off for third on the throw to first base and was cut down when SHU’s Taylor made a great throw to third and Trottier got the tag down for the double play to end the inning. Over the first three innings of the game, Notre Dame put a runner at second base with one out and could not get the RBI hit required to get a run on the scoreboard.
Seton Hall put two more runners on with two outs in the fourth inning on an infield hit and hit batter. Kim DiVincenzo was brought in to pinch hit and popped up the first offering from Stenglein back to the Irish righthander in the circle for the third out.
The pattern continued for Notre Dame in the fourth inning, as the Irish once again put a runner at second base with one out. Ciolli was hit by a pitch to lead off, then moved to second on a ground ball. Hartmann then hit her second single of the game to rightfield, but Ciolli got a late jump on the ball. Needing to get a run any way possible, Irish head coach Deanna Gumpf sent the speedy Ciolli around third. SHU’s Smith made a great throw and the Pirate catcher Anne Leone put the tag on the Irish centerfielder for the second out of the inning.
Hartmann ended up at second on the play to home – which proved to be the difference in the inning. Ruthrauff stepped in for Notre Dame and looked a three straight balls. She offered at the next one – a swing and miss. She fouled the next one straight back to the screen. The sixth pitch of the at bat she drove up the middle of the Seton Hall defense. Hartmann, running as fast as she has all year, just beat the throw at home with a nifty slide to score the first run of the game.
Nicole Wicks struck out on three pitches to end the inning, but the Irish finally had the lead 1-0.
Stenglein did not take advantage of the momentum, however. With a light mist falling at the SU Softball Stadium, Stenglein walked the number nine batter, Anne Leone, to bring the top of the Pirate line up to bear with a runner on first. The Irish got one out with a pop up, but Djakolovic stepped in and crushed a pitch over the rightfield fence for a two-run home run. The Irish lead had lasted just one out.
Just after Djakolovic’s shot to put her team ahead, the skies opened and dumped another strong rain storm on the Syracuse area. Four hours and nine minutes later, the game would be continued. Would the pattern from Friday follow (with the losing team, Seton Hall, rallying to win) or would the Pirates hold on?
Seton Hall kept McDevitt in to pitch, while Notre Dame brought in Heather Booth in relief of Stenglein.
Booth quickly ended the top of the fifth with a pop out and strike out.
Wisen popped out to begin Notre Dame’s portion of the fifth inning, but McDevitt hit pinch hitter Carissa Jaquish with her second offering. Schoonaert reentered to run and Seton Hall immediately called on Megan Meyer in relief – a pitcher the Irish had close to zero success against this season.
Brown moved Schoonaert to second base with a slap single to leftfield, putting two runners on and deFau in the batter’s box. Meyer got her first out of the game when deFau flied out to the gap in right-centerfield. Ciolli was due next and hit the ball hard, but it was caught at the warning track in deep rightfield for the final out of the inning.
With two outs in the sixth, Notre Dame put an important possible insurance run on second base when Lonergan posted a single to leftfield and stole second base. White lined out weakly to first base for the third out of the inning.
The Irish offense went quietly in the sixth inning, putting the team down to its last three outs.
Notre Dame allowed the number nine hitter in the Seton Hall line up to reach once again in the seventh inning – this time with a second consecutive free pass to the bottom hitter in the line up (Meg Berry came in to catch when Meyer entered the game). The Irish defense made the situation worse when Hartmann misplayed a ground ball at third – putting runners at first and second with one out.
Booth got the second out by striking out Taylor, but Katie Pierce looped a single to centerfield to load the bases for Smith – two was two for two in her previous match up against Booth earlier in the season. She hit the ball well, but it was caught by Wicks in rightfield for the third out of the inning.
Wisen led off the last chance for Notre Dame by crushing a line drive to rightfield, straight into the glove of SHU’s Richards. On a 3-0 pitch, Schoonaert hit the ball well deep in the hole on the left side, but Pierce made a nice play for the second out.
Brown then stepped in with Notre Dame’s last chance and came through – crushing the first pitch she was offered deep over the rightfield fence for her seventh home run of the season – tying teammates Liz Hartmann’s freshman school record. The homer was also Brown’s fourth hit of the game.
DeFau kept the pressure on Meyer with a solid single up the middle, keeping the inning alive for Ciolli. Ciolli attempted to bunt, but was struck by the pitch to reach base and push Schoonaert into scoring position at second. Lenn was up next for Notre Dame. After looking at several pitches and fouling off a few, Lenn grounded out to the pitcher for the final out of the inning.
Trottier and the Pirates came right back in the top of the eighth, with the Pirate third base singling up the middle to put the lead runner on. The situation worsened when Lonergan moved around to bunt, did not offer at the pitch and the ball went past Lenn for a passed ball to put the go ahead run at second with no outs.
The drama continued when Lonergan tapped a ground ball to third base and easily beat it out, putting runners on the corners with no outs. White followed with a perfect bunt single to load the bases – with still no one out.
The dreaded number nine hitter then came in for Seton Hall and came through once again, as Berry looped a lazy fly ball into no man’s land in short leftfield. The ball dropped, the go ahead run scored and the bases remained loaded.
Things continued to go against the Irish in the inning when Richards slapped a slow grounder to second base, on which the speedy Lonergan easily scored and the runner reached first safely. The bases were still loaded with no outs.
Booth finally got the first out of the inning on a sacrifice fly, but it was deep enough to score the third run of the inning. The second out came on a ground out to Hartmann, who stepped on third an whipped the ball to first for a close call on a possible double play, but Taylor was called safe for Seton Hall. A ground ball to second base finally ended the eighth inning.
The Irish failure to hold their lead in the game twice was hindered by the pitcher’s inability to hold down the bottom of Seton Hall’s line up. The six, seven, eight and nine hitters ended up seven for 13 in the game for Seton Hall and scored four runs
Needing three in the bottom of the eighth, Hartmann led off with a single (her third hit of the game), but Ruthrauff grounded out to shortstop for the first out. Wicks was due next and hit a line drive right back to Meyer, who turned and threw to second base for the double play to end the game.