April 11, 2008

CANTON, Ohio – Notre Dame swept a doubleheader against Malone College on the road Friday in Canton. The Falcons turned back the Pioneers, 9-2 and 6-1, and in doing so, have now won eight straight. NDC shortstop Stephanie Tartaglione (Sr/Euclid, OH) went 6-for-8 with three RBIs in the twin bill.

The wins run the Falcons' overall record to 11-7. In the doubleheader, Notre Dame's offense continued their recent surge - NDC has now scored 73 runs over their last eight games.

Game one (NDC 9, MC 2)
In game one, the Falcons got to Malone starter Jessica Krska (Fr/Clinton, OH) in short order - NDC scored two in the first and one more in the second to chase the freshman.

NDC starter Meredith Harbarger (Fr/Akron, OH) allowed an unearned run in the second and then pitched scoreless ball until the seventh.

By that point, Notre Dame had added six more runs to be in command 9-1. Harbarger allowed just a solo marker (again unearned) in the seventh. She finished the game with five hits allowed, four walks, and five strikeouts.

The NDC offense pounded out 16 hits, led by Tartaglione's four singles and Anna Ball's (Jr/Bellville, OH) three doubles. The Blue & Gold kept pressure on Pioneer hurlers by getting their leadoff man aboard in each inning.

Game two (NDC 6, MC 1)
In the nightcap, senior hurler Katie Lapczenski (Willoughby Hills, OH) picked up where Harbarger left off. Lapczenski didn't yield a run until the seventh, when an error by center fielder Evelien Vonk (Sr/Rotterdam, Netherlands) plated a solo run.

The Falcons backed up Lapczenski with a run in the fourth, three in the fifth, and two in the seventh. Junior catcher Jill Gigliotti (Medina, OH) collected three hits in the game, and Tartaglione added two. Gigliotti also notched three RBIs to run her team-leading season total to 23.

Lapczenski scattered six singles and walked one in going the route for the Falcons. She fanned four Pioneer batters and did not allow a leadoff batter to reach base in any of the seven innings.

"This was a good pair of wins for us," said NDC Head Coach Amy Kyler. The bottom of our order came through in the first game, and the middle of the order picked us up in the second. We also pitched well, so we're doing the things we need to in order to win."