February 27, 2008

Savannah squeakers
NDC sweeps Southern Wesleyan in one-run games
| Gm-1 Box | Gm-2 Box |

Savannah, Ga. – Notre Dame bounced back from two opening day losses to record a doubleheader sweep over Southern Wesleyan University (GA) on Wednesday. The Falcons picked up 6-5 victories in each game.

Junior left fielder Jess Fiorilli (Jr/Cleveland, OH) went 5-for-8 in the twin bill to lead the NDC (2-2) offense. Freshman Meredith Harbarger (Akron, OH) picked up two wins, pitching a combined 11-2/3 innings.

Game One (NDC 6, SWU 5, 8 inn.)
In NDC's first game, against Southern Wesleyan, Katie Lapczenski (Jr/Willoughby Hills, OH) took the ball. The junior righthander held the Warriors scoreless through the first two innings. NDC's offense staked her to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second on a Lianna Holub (Jr/Reminderville, OH) RBI triple. (Notre Dame batted as the home team in the neutral-site game.)

Jovita Bruton (Jr/Graham, WA) knotted things up with a leadoff home run in the top of the third. SWU then tacked on a second run in the third. The Falcons returned fire with solo runs in the third and fourth. Those runs were bracketed by a pair of Warrior runs in the top of the fourth. Through four, Southern led 4-3. Meredith Harbarger relieved Lapczenski in the fourth.

The two nines exchanged scoreless innings in the fifth and sixth, and SWU starter Breanna McMillan (So/Spring Valley, CA) took a 4-3 lead into the seventh. Notre Dame then tied the score, 4-4, when second baseman Jessica Simmons (So/Garfield Heights, OH) walked and stole second and then scored on a Jess Fiorilli single. That sent the game into extra innings.

In the first extra frame, the eighth, Southern Wesleyan plated a solo run on a sacrifice fly. in the bottom half of the eighth, Holub doubled down the right field line with one out to plate Evelien Vonk (Sr/Rotterdam, Netherlands). An out later, with two down in the bottom of the eighth, Anna Ball (Jr/Bellville, OH) smoked a two-bagger into left-center to score Holub as the game-winning run.

Game Two (NDC 6, SWU 5)
In the nightcap, Harbarger started and spotted the Warriors a 4-0 lead through two. The Warriors' runs came via a pair of two-run homers (by Melanie Massey and Jovita Bruton).

The Blue & Gold bats picked up Harbarger with a five-spot in the third. The Falcons batted around in the inning and plated their five on four singles, a walk, and a hit batsman.

The Warriors tied the game at 5-5 in the bottom of the fourth. Notre Dame pushed across the game-winning run in the fifth on a Jill Gigliotti (Jr/Medina, OH) single.

Harbarger hung zeroes in the fifth, sixth, and seventh to seal the win. She went the route, yielding 10 base hits and a pair of walks.

Notre Dame will resume play in the Smash Hit Tournament, hosted by the Savannah College of Art and Design, on Friday. The Falcons are slated to take on West Virginia Wesleyan and Lindsey Wilson in a split doubleheader.

NOTES FROM THE NEST...

HARD BARGAIN FOR OPPOSING HITTERS: In game one, Meredith Harbarger picked up the win, allowing just one unearned run in 4-2/3 innings. The freshman retired eight straight Warriors in one stretch and allowed just one base runner to reach base. Harbarger came to NDC from Manchester High School in Akron.

SMASH HITTER: Through four games, slugger Jill Gigliotti is hitting .385/.429/.615 (batting/on-base/slugging). The junior outfielder leads the team with six RBIs in 14 plate appearances.