April 7, 2008

SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – Notre Dame defeated eastside rival Ursuline College in both ends of a doubleheader Monday. The Falcons won by scores of 7-5 and 11-2 (6 innings) on a day where the bat of third baseman Anna Ball (Jr/Bellville, OH) dominated play. The lefty-swinging Ball went 5-for-7 on the day, with two doubles, a triple and a home run.

Game one Monday was Notre Dame's home opener in the 2008 season, and it marked the first home victory in Head Coach Amy Kyler's NDC career.

The win in game two evened the Falcons' season record at 7-7.

Game one (NDC 7, UC 5)
In the opener, Notre Dame started the scoring in the home half of the third. After a one-out double to straightaway center by Ball, three Ursuline errors led to five unearned runs. Shortstop Stephanie Tartaglione (Jr/Euclid, OH) and first baseman Lianna Holub (Jr/Reminderville, OH) collected RBIs in the five-run frame.

NDC added two in the fourth on a two-run single by junior catcher Jill Gigliotti (Medina, OH). After NDC batted in the fourth, they led, 7-0.

Ursuline, however, cut into that lead against starter Meredith Harbarger (Fr/Akron, OH) in the sixth. UC ripped three doubles in the inning and crossed the plate three times.

After the Falcons failed to score in the bottom of the sixth, the Arrows again chipped away at the NDC lead in the seventh. After a walk and a pair of hits, a Stephanie Targtaglione error plated two UC runs. Harbarger recovered to strike out Elizabeth Shoda (So/Eastlake, OH) with two aboard to finish out the win.

Game two (NDC 11, UC 2)
In the nightcap at Campus Field, Anna Ball, batting leadoff, ignited a five-run first inning for Notre Dame with a triple slammed into right-center field. Second baseman Jessica Simmons (So/Garfield Heights, OH) and Josephine Zappitelli (Jr/Painesville, OH) would each double in the inning, and the Falcons took advantage of an Ursuline error to the tune of four unearned runs.

In the second, Ball led off the inning with a solo home run on another shot belted to right-center. That put NDC up, 6-0.

The Arrows cut that lead to 6-2 with a run in the third and another in the fourth. Their run in the fourth came courtesy a solo shot off the bat of Amy DiFiore (Jr/Valley View, OH).

Notre Dame, however, answered with three in the home half of the fourth. Stephanie Tartaglione tripled home a pair of runs in the inning. She finished with a pair of hits and four RBIs on the afternoon.

The Falcons finished off the Arrows in run-rule fashion in the bottom of the sixth. A double into the gap in left-center off the bat of Lianna Holub was the game-clincher.

Katie Lapczenski (Sr/Willoughby Hills, OH) pitched the second game for NDC. She allowed four hits and two runs (one earned) in six innings. The veteran righthander walked none and fanned three.

Harbarger's line in game one: seven frames, nine hits, five runs (two earned), three walks, and five strikeouts.

In addition to Ball's five hits on the day, Holub collected four, and Simmons garnered three. Outfielder Sam Williams (Sr/Painesville, OH) reached base four times, with a single and three walks.

With the win, Notre Dame (7-7, 4-2) has now beaten Ursuline in six straight games and in seven of their last eight meetings. With the loss, Ursuline (1-9, 0-6) has now dropped nine consecutive games in the 2008 season.

The Falcons' next game is also scheduled as a Campus Field doubleheader. Notre Dame will host Oberlin College, with the first pitch in the opener scheduled for 3:30pm.

NOTES FROM THE NEST...

BYE-BYE, BALL: Anna Ball's second-inning home run in game two was her team-leading fifth of the season. The long ball also marked the 15th of her career - that pulls her one homer in front of teammate Jill Gigliotti (Jr/Medina, OH) for the all-time program lead. Both sluggers came into Monday's action with 14 career home runs. ... Through 14 games, Ball is now hitting .571/.607/1.061 (BA/OBP/SLG). Her 12 extra-base hits (5 2B, 2 3B, 5 HR) lead the American Mideast Conference. ... Ball's 12 total bases on the day ran her career total to 258 total bases. She is the first Falcon player to amass 250-plus total bases in a career. In 99 career games and 311 at bats, the 2007 Second Team All-American has hit 89 singles, 49 doubles, three triples, and 15 home runs.

ON A RUN: In their last five games, Notre Dame has scored 39 runs (7.8 per game). In their five games before that period, NDC scored 10 runs (2.0). In their first 14 games of the season, the Falcons have scored 67 runs and given up 70.