April 3, 2008

PITTSBURGH – Notre Dame snapped their longest losing streak in a year with a doubleheader sweep Thursday over Point Park University (PA). The Falcons earned 9-6 and 7-3 victories with solid pitching performances from freshman Meredith Harbarger (Akron, OH) and junior Katie Lapczenski (Willoughby Hills, OH) and excellent afternoons by several veteran batters.

The Falcons had lost their previous four games, which matched their longest streak from a year ago (March 29-30, 2007). The pair of wins came in American Mideast Conference North Division play; NDC is now 2-2 in the North this season (3rd place).

Game one
In the opener, third baseman Anna Ball (Jr/Bellville, OH) slugged a home run to lead off the game in the top of the first for the Falcons. NDC tacked on a second run when second baseman Jessica Simmons (So/Garfield Heights, OH) doubled and scored on a PPU error.

Point Park (5-7, 0-2) plated a solo run off Harbarger in the bottom of the first, and then neither nine would score again until the Pioneers scored three in the bottom of the fifth to take a 4-2 lead. In between, the freshman hurler was dominant, picking up nine punch outs through five. She finished with a team season-high 11.

Down 4-2, junior Jess Fiorilli (Cleveland, OH) jump-started the Falcon sixth with a leadoff double. She then scored on an RBI single by Jill Gigliotti (Jr/Medina, OH). NDC tallied a second run on an Evelien Vonk (Sr/Rotterdam, The Netherlands) single.

Harbarger then set down the Pioneers, 1-2-3, in the sixth.

The Falcon offense exploded for five runs in the top of the seventh to take a 9-4 lead. Three of the five were unearned courtesy three PPU errors; they had six for the game. The outburst was highlighted by a three-run double by Gigliotti.

Harbarger allowed two in the seventh to preserve the win.

Game two
In the nightcap, Notre Dame (5-7, 2-2) batted around and scored five times in the top of the third to take a 5-1 lead.

Starter Katie Lapczenski (Jr/Willoughby Hills, OH) scattered six hits and yielded three runs (two earned) in going the distance. She fanned seven without issuing a walk.

The Falcons closed out their scoring with a pair of runs in the seventh. Lapczenski gave up solo runs in the first, third, and fifth innings. In addition to piling up a personal season-high seven strikeouts, the Willoughby Hills native induced nine ground ball outs.

NDC sported an efficient offense in the second game - the Falcon leadoff batter reached base five times in seven innings, and the Blue & Gold were 7-for-16 in the game with runners in scoring position. The Falcons rapped a season-high 14 hits in scoring over five runs for just the fourth time this season.

Both Lianna Holub (Jr/Reminderville, OH) and Abby Wolfe (Sr/Fort Wayne, IN) collected three hits in the game.

For the two games combined, Anna Ball went 4-for-9. Jessica Simmons, Evelien Vonk, Holub, and Wolfe all garnered three hits each.

Notre Dame is scheduled to play next on Monday, Apr. 7, when they host Ursuline College at 3:30pm.

NOTES FROM THE NEST...

FIORILLI INJURED: Junior left fielder Jess Fiorilli was injured in a collision with Pioneer first baseman Ashley Santaguido (Verona, PA) on a fourth-inning ground ball up the first base line. Fiorilli was knocked out on the play with a head injury and taken by ambulance to Allegheny General Hospital, where she was diagnosed with a concussion. She is expected to be released Friday. ... Fiorilli is batting .297 (11-for-37) for the season. She was replaced in the game by Kim Corbets (Sr/Solon, OH).

LONG BALL: Anna Ball's first inning homer in game one was her fourth of the season. In winning the program's first All-American nod a year ago (Second Team), the St. Peters High School (Mansfield) product belted six homers. Through, Thursday's action, Ball and teammate Jill Gigiotti are tied for the NDC career lead, with 14 each. ... For the season, Ball ranks in the NAIA Top-10 in both batting average (.548) and slugging percentage (.952).

18K GOLD: NDC pitchers Meredith Harbarger and Katie Lapczenski combined to strike out 18 batters in Thursday's twin bill in Pittsburgh. Each posted a personal season-high (Harbarger 11, Lapczenski 7). Harbarger's 11 were the most by a Falcon hurler since Amanda Stewart (2004-07) fanned 12 Apr. 18, 2007 against Seton Hill (PA).