April 30, 2011
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Three home runs and seven RBI off the bat of Brianna Jorgensborg allowed No. 22 Notre Dame to take two games from St. John’s Saturday at Melissa Cook Stadium, 10-3 and 11-1. Now with an overall record of 37-8, the sweep moved Notre Dame’s BIG EAST Conference softball mark to 13-1 as the Irish have now won six straight games.
Jorgensborg went 4-for-4 in the doubleheader while homering twice in game two. That contest also saw her record five RBI including a sacrifice fly.
Her offensive efforts were representative of an Irish lineup that hit .451 on the day with 12 hits in game one and 11 more to close the day.
Heather Johnson added five hits – including two doubles – that led to a team slugging pct. of .804 in the twinbill.
The two teams will square off at 11:00 a.m. (ET) on Sunday (May 1). Live coverage will be available at UND.com.
-Game 1-
St. John’s (19-29, 6-11) had two fruitless hits in the top of the first with Notre Dame answering with a pair of its own to take a 1-0 lead.
Alexia Clay started the rally with a single to left, followed by Johnson’s RBI double down the leftfield line.
The lead went to St. John’s after a two-run homer by Amber Curry in the third before Notre Dame scored twice in the bottom half.
Alexa Maldonado registered the first of her two hits with a bunt single, stole second and scored when Clay’s sacrifice turned into one of three Red Storm errors. Dani Miller drove in Notre Dame’s third run of the game, putting the Irish on top by a 3-2 count.
Chrissy Montez bombed a solo home run it the top of the fourth to knot the game at 3-3.
Maldonado doubled home Jorgensborg in the bottom of the frame to put Notre Dame ahead for good.
Six runs in the fifth came on three hits and a St. John’s error. Katie Fleury knocked a two-RBI single, Jorgensborg belted a two-run home run and Johnson unleashed a two-RBI double.
St. John’s had six hits and three earned runs with Laura Winter (20-3) in the circle. Winter had her revenge in the form of nine strikeouts without issuing a walk.
Myriah Rodgers (2-2) gave up nine runs – four earned – and 11 hits in 6.0 innings.
Notre Dame did not strike out at the plate.
Johnson finished 3-for-4 with three RBI to lead all players.
-Game 2-
Two innings – the second and fifth – saw the Irish post a five-spot on the Red Storm in the five-inning affair.
Jorgensborg’s walk-off homer came in the bottom of the fifth on a 3-2 offering from Ashley Beza (5-10) with Kristina Wright and Fleury on base.
The home run marked the fifth hit of the inning for Notre Dame. Johnson, Sadie Pitzenberger, Fleury and Wright also registered hits.
Both Pitzenberger and Clay tripled in the five-run second inning to take the air out of the Red Storm. Chloe Saganowich hustled out a double in the stanza.
Jorgensborg slammed a leadoff home run in the fourth.
Cruising to the win was Brittany O’Donnell (8-0) after tossing a two-hitter in 4.0 innings. O’Donnell gave up one earned run and Jody Valdivia was perfect in the fifth inning.
Beza gave up 11 runs on 11 hits in 4.1 frames. With St. John’s committing three errors, six of the scores were earned.
–ND–