Notre Dame Exacts Revenge on Demons

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 2, 2003

NOTRE DAME EXACTS REVENGE ON DEMONS Fighting Irish explode for 11 runs in first four innings

LAFAYETTE – Notre Dame pushed across 11 runs in the first four innings and never looked back in rolling to a 12-7 win over Northwestern State here Sunday in game 9 of the 17th Annual Louisiana Classics at Lady Cajun Park.

With the win the Fighting Irish (6-6) ended the three-day tournament with a 3-2 mark and gained revenge for a 3-2 loss to Northwestern State in the tournament opener on Friday. NSU dropped its fourth straight game and concluded play in the tournament with a 1-4 record and a fourth place finish.

ND is currently second in the tournament and will finish so if UL Lafayette defeats McNeese State in the tournament finale. ND would win the tournament title with a Louisiana-Lafayette loss based on tiebreaker procedures involved with runs scored against the Cajuns (ND outscored UL Lafayette 11-10 in two meetings in the tournament).

Notre Dame pushed across two runs in its first at bat on an Andrea Loman home run to left center. Loman's homer scored Megan Ciolli who led off the inning and reached on a fielding error by Northwestern State's first baseman Lindsay Leftwich. The home run was Loman's first of the tournament and second of the season.

NSU (1-11) answered with a home run of its own in the top of the second to tie the game at 2-2. Katrina Walker hit her first home run of her collegiate career with a shot to center field that scored Krystle Nichols who drew a walk on the Demons' second at bat of the inning.

The Irish reclaimed the lead in the bottom half of the second with three runs on three hits off of NSU pitcher Amanda Ortego. Liz Hartmann led off with a solo home run to dead center field, her third home run of the tournament, and the Irish took the lead for good at 3-2.

After Nicole deFau flied out to right field, second baseman Alexis Madrid singled to left field. Madrid would steal second just before Ciolli walked. Mallorie Lenn would then follow with a single through the left side which was mishandled by NSU left fielder Sarina Noack allowing Madrid to score and advancing the runners to second and third.

The Irish's final run of the inning was scored when Ciolli slid home under the tag of NSU catcher Nichols after a grounder to third by Andrea Loman.

The flood gates opened for the Irish in the bottom of the third as they pushed across six runs on five hits to open an 11-2 lead after three complete.

Bledsoe reached base with a leadoff single and then stole second. She was brought home on an RBI single by Lisa Mattison and ND led 6-2. Mattison would advance to second on a wild pitch and moved to third on a groundout to third base by Hartmann. Ortego got a lineout to short on deFau for the second out of the inning. However, the Irish would push across five more runs on two outs.

That was followed by a Madrid bunt single and a Ciolli RBI single up the middle that scored Mattison for a 7-2 lead. Ciolli would then steal second to give ND runners on second and third. Lenn would then follow with a single to center field that plated Madrid and Ciolli for a 9-2 Irish advantage.

Loman was then walked and Meagan Ruthrauff hit a grounder to short that was misplayed by Shay Hunt allowing it to roll deep into left center and score Lenn and Loman (both unearned) to increase the lead to 11-2. Ortego was then replaced by Crista Miller who induced a lineout to left field by Bledsoe to end the third inning.

Both teams pushed across one more run in the fourth inning. NSU scored on an illegal pitch by ND starter Steffany Stenglein while the Irish scored on an RBI double to left center by Sara Schoonaert that scored deFau.

NSU avoided the five-inning run rule with four runs in the top of the fifth. The Demons received an RBI double from Lindsey Danzy, a sacrifice fly RBI from Ortego and a two-run home run by Hunt to trim the ND lead to 12-7. All of the runs came off of Irish reliever Heather Booth.

The pitchers would both settle down after that as only one hit was registered in the final four at bats. That hit came from NSU's Tasha Hess who singled through the left side in the top of the seventh with one out. Booth ended any chances of a Demons rally getting Ortego to ground out to first base unassisted and Hunt to line out to ND center fielder Kellie Middleton for the final out.

The Louisiana Classics will conclude in approximately 30 minutes as host-UL Lafayette takes on McNeese State in the tournament finale.

-- Louisiana Classics --

University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics

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