May 1, 2008

SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – Notre Dame swept their third straight doubleheader Thursday, as the Falcons earned 3-2 and 3-0 victories over Ohio Dominican University. The pair of wins came in the Falcons' 2008 home finale at Campus Field, and they run NDC's current win streak to six.

Notre Dame's two top pitchers, Meredith Harbarger (Fr/Akron) and Katie Lapczenski (Sr/Willoughby Hills, OH) each picked up victories in the low-scoring affairs against the Panthers, who came into the day in first place in the American Mideast Conference (AMC) South Division. Lapczenski pitched a gem in the nightcap - the senior right-hander pitched a two hitter, facing three over the minimum. Lapczenski yielded just two singles and hit a batter. She notched six strikeouts without issuing a walk in lowering her season ERA to 2.81.

Game one (NDC 3, ODU 2)
In the opener, Notre Dame fell behind 2-0 by the middle of the third. The Falcons got half of that back on a double steal by Abby Wolfe (Sr/Fort Wayne, IN) and Stephanie Tartaglione (Jr/Euclid, OH) in the home half of the fourth.

The Falcons then scratched out a pair of runs in the fifth to take a 3-2 lead. Meredith Harbarger caged the Panther offense as the game wore on. She allowed just a single and a walk of the final four frames. For the game, Harbarger went seven innings and allowed five ODU hits. She struck out three and allowed a pair of walks. The freshman right-hander allowed just one ODU leadoff batter to reach base, and she held the Panthers to an 0-for-3 mark with runnrs in scoring position.

Game two (NDC 3, ODU 0)
In the nightcap, the Falcons scored three quick runs to take a 3-0 lead after one. NDC banged out three hits in the inning and scored their runs on an RBI double by Jessica Simmons (So/Garfield Heights, OH) and a two-out, two-run single by Stephanie Tartaglione (Jr/Euclid, OH).

After that outburst, ODU starter Petra Jones (So/Saline, MI) stifled the NDC offense. Over the next five innings, the sophomore allowed just four baserunners in blanking the Falcons.

But for the way her mound opponent was pitching, that wouldn't be enough. Katie Lapczenski allowed a solo hit in the first and again in the fifth. In between, she hit a batter - Jennifer Baker (Fr/Cortland, OH), leading off the fourth. Other than that, Lapczenski was dominant in pitching the second shutout of her career (both have come this season and in the last week). With her seven shutout innings, the senior from Willoughby Hills is sporting a 2.03 ERA over her last five outings (35 innings).

"This was a good couple of wins for us," said NDC Head Coach Amy Kyler. "We wanted to go out the right way at home."

The victories run Notre Dame's season record to 27-11. The Blue & Gold will play their regular finale Friday at Carlow University (PA). The Falcons have qualified for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Regional (Great Lakes East) Tournament, which will be held the week of May 5.

NOTES FROM THE NEST...

N-D-sweep: Earlier in the day on Thursday, the AMC announced that Lapczenski and junior catcher Jill Gigliotti (Medina, OH) were named AMC Pitcher and Player of the Week, respectively, for the week of April 21. For the week of the 21st, Lapczenski posted a 1.36 ERA in five starts, and Gigliotti hit .471 (16-for-31) with seven doubles and three home runs. They led the Falcons to an 8-2 record on the week.

CAMPUS SECURITY: With the sweep, Notre Dame is now 15-3 at Campus Field this season. They are 27-4 over their last 31 at home. The Falcons have also won 10 of their last 11 overall. ... Falcon hurlers owned a 2.62 ERA in 18 home games this season. Anna Ball (Jr/Bellville, OH) and Lianna Holub (Jr/Reminderville, OH) led the way for NDC batters; Ball batted .561 (32-for-57) and Holub hit .426 (23-for-54). ... In 18 home contests, Notre Dame outscored their opponents, 124-51.

HIT-WATCH: Ball went 1-for-4 against ODU Thursday. The 2007 AMC North Player of the Year and Second Team All-American now has 198 career hits and is two shy of becoming the first Falcon batter to reach the 200-hit plateau. ... The Bellville, Ohio, native came into the day ranked in the NAIA's Top-5 in five categories, including a first-place ranking in doubles per game (0.69). Her .554 average ranks second.