Feb. 15, 2013
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The University of Notre Dame softball team bounced back from a 5-2 loss against No. 16 Washington to shut out Cal Poly Friday at the Campbell/Cartier Classic inside the San Diego State Softball Stadium.
Brittany O’Donnell picked up her third victory of the season with a complete game gem in the day’s second contest. O’Donnell (3-0) allowed five hits with no walks, and set a career-high by striking out 10 Mustang hitters on 119 pitches.
Laura Winter (0-3) struck out nine Washington (5-2) hitters in her five full innings of work, walking two on 124 pitches.
Katey Haus powered the Notre Dame (3-3) offense with three hits, including a double, over the two-game series, while Lauren Stuhr added a triple and two RBI, and Micaela Arizmendi hit her first career home run against Cal Poly (1-6).
The Irish return to action at the Campbell/Cartier Classic Saturday against Cal Poly at 11:15 a.m. Notre Dame is scheduled to face host San Diego State at 6 p.m. Saturday.
–Game 2 vs. Cal Poly–
Amy Buntin and Lauren Stuhr picked up the first Notre Dame hits of game two, lining a pair of singles to open the top of the second inning. Micaela Arizmendi smashed her first career home run to bring both runners home, drilling a 1-1 pitch from starter Chloe Wurst (0-2) over the wall in right center to vault the Irish in front 3-0.
Notre Dame added a pair of runs in the top of the third, as Emilee Koerner reached on a fielding error by Mustang second baseman Ashley Romano. Katey Haus followed with a single off Wurst before stealing second, giving the Irish two runners in scoring position with nobody away. Stuhr made the most of the opportunity, inside-outting a 1-1 offering to right field for a bases clearing triple to extend the Notre Dame margin to 5-0.
Brittany O’Donnell cruised through her third straight frame in the bottom of the inning after striking out the side an inning prior, sitting down Kim Westlund swinging for her sixth punch out of the contest. The senior right-hander added a pair of strikeouts in the bottom of the fourth inning to keep Cal Poly off the scoreboard.
The Mustangs made their best effort at the plate in the bottom of the sixth, as back-to-back singles from Mariah Cochiolo and Westlund put Cal Poly in scoring position. O’Donnell responded in kind, popping up Breana West and forcing Whitney Gerhart to ground out to Arizmendi at first base for the inning’s final two outs.
Koerner clubbed a leadoff double to right center field off reliever Nicole Innamorato in the top of the seventh inning. A sharp single past the second baseman by Haus brought Koerner in to score the sixth Irish run of the game (6-0).
–Game 1 vs. No. 16 Washington–
Washington opened the game’s scoring in the top half of the third inning, collecting the contest’s first three hits off Irish starter Laura Winter. Kimberlee Souza laced a 2-2 double to right field to start the Husky rally, and Kaitlin Ingelsby followed two batters later with a two-bagger of her own, clearing the bases for a 2-0 Washington lead. Winter fanned Missy Taukeiaho to limit the damage.
The Irish answered with a run of their own in the bottom of the third, Winter helped her own cause with a double to opposite field. Pinch runner Carly Piccinich moved to third base on a Jenna Simon groundout, and then scored on an errant throw by Husky catcher Shawna Wright to bring Notre Dame within one run (2-1). Washington starter Bryana Walker (3-1) retired Amy Buntin on strikes to hold the Irish at bay.
Winter sat down the first two Washington batters in the top of the fourth before Souza broke through with a single through the left side. After Whitney Jones was hit by a pitch, Victoria Hayward singled to right, scoring Souza to up the advantage to 3-1. Winter sat down Jennie McNeill swinging on a 1-2 offering to hold Washington to just the single run.
After the Huskies tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the top of the seventh inning to make it 5-1, the Irish had one final round of ups in the bottom of the frame. Katey Haus ripped a double to right center field to kick start the Notre Dame offense. Pinch runner Monica Torres moved to third base on an Arizmendi groundout before coming home on an RBI single by Megan Sorlie (5-2). Walker retired Casey Africano on strikes and Sorlie was put out on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Winter to close the game.
–ND–