May 5, 2000
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – The 19th-ranked Notre Dame softball team used a five-run third inning, highlighted by sophomore Jarrah Myers’ record-breaking home run to defeat host Boston College 5-0 in the first game of the BIG EAST championships Friday at Shea Field. With the win, the Irish advance in the four-team double elimination tournament, moving to 44-12 overall.
The game went scoreless through two and a half before freshman Alexis Madrid (Temecula, Calif.) led-off the third with a single and then scored on sophomore Jennifer Kriech’s (Indianapolis, Ind.) school-record tying eighth triple of the season down the right field line. Kriech recorded Notre Dame’s second run of the game on a wild pitch by Boston College pitcher freshman Kim Ryan. Sophomore Rebecca Eimen (Mannford, Okla.), who was running for Irish pitcher Jennifer Sharron (Agoura Hills, Calif.) then made the team’s lead 3-0 after scoring all the way from first on a RBI double from junior Melanie Alkire (Union City, Calif.).
Still in the bottom of the third, sophomore Myers (Carbondale, Kan.) pushed the Notre Dame lead to 5-0 with her school-record breaking 11th home run of the season just inside the left field foul pole to also score junior Lizzy Lemire (Irvine, Calif.). Myers’ home run was her fourth in less than a week and broke the school record of 10 also held by Alkire (1999, 2000) and former Irish standout Sara Hayes (1994).
Sharron had a perfect game until the top of the fourth when catcher Summer Jarratt hit a single up the middle. Boston College moved runners to the corners with two outs, but Sharron got Lauren Fischetti to pop out to first base to end the inning.
The Eagles threatened in the top of the seventh inning, loading the bases with one out. Sharron, however, got a force out at the plate to record out number two, but then Jarratt got the Eagles on the board with a bloop single down the left field line to drive in two runs and make the score 5-2. Sharron settled down to record the final out by striking out Cara Blumfield.
Sharron allowed seven hits and struck out seven in picking up her 24th win of the season to move to 24-6 on the season. Sharron’s 24th win tied the Notre Dame single-season school for most wins in a season set by All-American Terri Kobata in 1995.
Boston College dropped to 20-24 overall, while Ryan fell to 13-12 on the season with the loss.
The Irish continue BIG EAST championship action Saturday, May 6, against the winner of the Connecticut-Villanova game at 10 a.m.