May 20, 2010
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – For the ninth time in as many seasons under head coach Deanna Gumpf – and 15th time in program history – the Notre Dame softball team will be making an appearance in the NCAA Championship, as this year’s road to the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City, Okla., will look a bit familiar for the Irish. Traveling to the Ann Arbor (Mich.) Regional for the third consecutive season, Notre Dame carries a 45-10 record into the NCAA Tournament and earned an at-large selection after falling in the semifinal round of last weekend’s BIG EAST Conference Tournament.
The Irish will be joined in the four-team bracket by Illinois State, which holds a 32-18 season record, and similarly claimed an at-large bid after losing in the Missouri Valley Championships semifinal round, along with Wright State, who rallied through the loser’s bracket to capture the Horizon League’s automatic berth. The Raiders bring in a 30-28-1 record on the season. The regional host, Michigan, is making its 16th straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament and its 17th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. Michigan plays host to a regional for the ninth straight season and 16th time overall. The tournament’s overall No. 2 seeded squad, the Wolverines boast their third straight top-five seed in the NCAA Tournament after claiming the No. 4 spot in 2008 and the No. 5 spot in 2009. Last season, Michigan earned three straight victories en route to its fifth consecutive Super Regional appearance.
The winner of the regional in Ann Arbor will move on to a Super Regional against the winner of the regional being hosted by Tennessee in Knoxville, Tenn. That regional consists of No. 15-overall seed Tennessee, Louisville, Virginia and Ball State. The Super Regional is a best two-of-three format with the winner advancing to the eight-team Women’s College World Series, scheduled for June 3-9 in Oklahoma City.
Notre Dame has advanced to the NCAAs 12 straight times and appeared in the final day of regional action six times. Liz Miller guided theâ⒬ˆIrish to their first NCAAâ⒬ˆappearance in 1994 and returned five more times.
Notre Dame has an overall record of 21-28 (.429) in the NCAAâ⒬ˆTournament through 14 trips. The program registered three of those wins in one of the more memorable showdowns at the NCAAs in 2001.
Tickets for the regional tournament are priced at $10 for reserved chairback and $9 for reserved bleacher seats. General admission outfield bleacher tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for youth and seniors.
Join UND.com for a live in-game chat on the Softball Gameday Central page for each of this weekend’s contests. In-game Twitter updates (@NDSoftball) and IRISH ALERT text-messaging services (UND.com) are also great ways to follow Notre Dame softball. Live stats will be available at UND.com.
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No. 24 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
(45-10 overall / 18-3 BIG EAST)
[und.com – bigeast.org]
NCAA Softball Championship
Wilpon Softball Complex – Ann Arbor, Mich.
Friday-Sunday – May 21-23
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Friday, May 21Game 1 - #2 seed Notre Dame vs. #3 seed Illinois State, 4:30 p.m.Game 2 - #1 seed Michigan vs. #4 seed Wright State, 7 p.m.
Saturday, May 22Game 3 - Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, NoonGame 4 - Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 2:30 p.m.Game 5 - Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner, 5 p.m.
Sunday, May 23Game 6 - Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 1 p.m.Game 7 (if necessary) - Game 6 winner vs. Game 6 loser, 3:30 p.m.
*all times local to site (ET)
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NCAA Tournament One-Hitters …
– The Irish have traveled to Big Ten regional sites since it began to qualify for NCAA regional play … Indiana (1994), Iowa (2001-02), Michigan (1995-96, 1999-2000, 2003-04, 2008-10) and Northwestern (2006-07) have hosted the Irish in regional competition … Notre Dame played host to its first regional at Ivy Field in 2005.
– First appearance: 1994 (Bloomington, Ind.) … The Irish faced top-seeded Indiana in the first game of the tournament and dealt the Hoosiers a 3-0 defeat in eight innings … the host team avenged the loss one day later with an 8-0 victory.
– First pitching victory: 1994 (Terri Kobata) … Arguably the greatest pitcher in Notre Dame softball history, Kobata won the first NCAA Tournament game for the Irish with a two-hit, nine strikeout performance against Indiana in 1994.
– First No. 1 seed: 2001 … Notre Dame was ranked as high as seventh in the nation during the 2001 campaign and earned the team’s first NCAAâ⒬ˆTournament number-one seed … the team could not host the event that season, however, and would bow out on the final day of the tournament to No. 2 Iowa on the Hawkeye’s home field.
– First no-hitter: 2008 … Nine runs on seven hits by the Irish offense and pitcher Brittney Bargar’s second no-hitter in as many weeks gave the second-seeded Irish a victory over third-seeded Kent State in six innings to open the 2008 tournament in Ann Arbor … the 9-1 decision marked the fourth no-hitter of Bargar’s career but the second in which the hurler allowed a run … it was the 36th no-hitter in school history and the first for Notre Dame in the NCAA Tournament, also giving Bargar the honor of becoming the first Irish pitcher to record 30 wins in a season.
– Three-In-One: 2008 … In the 2008 opener against Kent State, Linda Kohan and Katie Fleury were joined in the home run department by Christine Lux, with each of the three bombs coming in the game’s third inning … it was the second time in school history the Irish hit three home runs in the same inning – a feat last accomplished exactly one month prior against Wisconsin (April 16) by the same trio.
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One-Hitters …
– Notre Dame enters the NCAA Tournament leading the nation in batting average (.348) … the Irish are second in doubles/game (1.76) while ranking third in slugging percentage (.608) and fifth in fielding pct. (.978) … the Irish are seventh in triples/game (0.36), ninth in win-loss pct. (.818) and 12th in both scoring (6.55) and home runs/game (1.35).
– In regular season BIG EAST play, the Irish ranked first in slugging percentage (.635), runs scored (150), RBI (134), doubles (46), home runs (31) and total bases (330).
– Jody Valdivia is tied with Terri Kobata with 15 shutouts this season … Kobata accomplished the feat in 1994.
– Head coach Deanna Gumpf has a career record of 377-163-1 (.697) in nine seasons with the Irish … she is one win away from exceeding Liz Miller’s school-record win total, also achieved in nine seasons.
– Notre Dame is 21-28 (.429) all-time in the NCAA Tournament … the Irish are 4-3 against Illinois State and have met three times in the postseason showdown (twice in 2007) … Notre Dame also faced Wright State in the 2007 tournament and own a 5-0 record over the Raiders … Michigan has won 11 of its 15 matchups with Notre Dame, including seven straight overall and six of the seven all-time meetings in the NCAA Tournament.
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Outside Providence …
Notre Dame went 1-1 at the 2010 BIG EAST Tournament in Louisville, Ky. … a 6-2 win over Providence was neutralized by a 5-2 setback to host Louisville … with the win over the Friars, the Irish have now won 10 opening round games in the BIG EAST showdown in 15 appearances … the win was Notre Dame’s 10th straight and put head coach Deanna Gumpf in a two-way tie with Liz Miller (377) for career wins as Irish skipper … the double-digit winning streak was the third such for Notre Dame this season after earlier streaks of 11 and 12 … Katie Fleury recorded her second hit and second run of the game in the second frame to capture the Notre Dame single-season record with 53 taps on home plate … in the same stanza, Sadie Pitzenberger doubled home two runs with a shot to the leftfield gap, tying a single-season record with her 17th two-bagger.
Seven Honored By BIG EAST …
Seven players earned all-BIG EAST Conference recognition and Jody Valdivia was named BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year, as announced during the regular season league banquet May 12 at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Louisville … the seven honors matched Notre Dame’s 2009 post-season output and brought the program’s total to 100 all-conference honorees since joining the league in 1996 … Christine Lux, Katie Fleury, Alexa Maldonado and Valdivia were each named to the first team while Dani Miller, Heather Johnson and Brianna Jorgensborg earned second-team nods … it was the first all-league citation for both Johnson and Maldonado, as the Irish roster now boasts eight players with at least all-BIG EAST honor.
BIG EAST Regular Season Champs …
A decisive 10-run sixth inning capped off a 12-2 comeback win for Notre Dame over St. John’s (May 9) to secure a share of the BIG EAST regular season crown for the Irish with DePaul … the regular season title was the 12th in 15 seasons for Notre Dame since joining the league and the first since 2006 … Notre Dame is currently 243-46 (.841) in BIG EAST Conference regular-season competition … the team finished the 1999 (16-0) and 2001 (20-0) conference schedules with perfect records.
Making It Rain Against the Red Storm …
Notre Dame outscored St. John’s, 28-7, during a three-game series (May 8-9) … trailing 2-0 in game three, Notre Dame rallied back to score 12 unanswered runs over the final stretch, including 10 runs in the sixth and final inning … Kasey O’Connor scored twice in the sixth frame … in fact, O’Connor had only recorded two hits in 11 conference at-bats for her career entering the series with the Red Storm … an illness in the Irish lineup jabbed her into a starting role, and she responded with a banner weekend that included six hits in 10 at-bats and a slugging pct. of 1.200 … O’Connor went 2-for-3 in the series opener (her first-ever multi-hit effort), hit her first career home run in game two, and went 3-for-4 in the finale – one single, one double and one triple – to fall just short of the cycle.
Christine Lux and Dani Miller Get It Done Off the Field …
Senior first baseman Christine Lux was named first-team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District V for the second time in as many years while sophomore second baseman Dani Miller was named to the second team, as announced May 6 by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) … an accounting major from Glendale Heights, Ill., Lux ranked 14th nationally with 16 home runs at the time of the honor, a mark that broke Notre Dame’s single-season record which she set in 2008 (15) and 2009 (15) … Miller is a pre-professional studies major with a 3.31 grade-point average from Huntington Beach, Calif.
Lux Earns Top Irish Honor at O.S.C.A.R.S. …
The Notre Dame Department of Athletics held its ninth annual O.S.C.A.R.S (Outstanding Student-Athletes Celebrating Achievements & Recognition Showcase) April 28 inside Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center, with the traditional year-end gala honoring more than 750 student-athletes for their achievements on the field and in the classroom during the 2009-10 school year … Christine Lux was one of six student-athletes to receive the Kanaley Award, the most prestigious honor presented to an Irish student-athlete … the award has been given annually since 1926 to senior monogram athletes who have been most exemplary as both students and leaders … chosen by the University’s Faculty Board on Athletics, the awards are named in honor of the 1904 Notre Dame graduate who was a member of the baseball team as an undergraduate … Kanaley went on to a successful banking career in Chicago and served the University as a lay trustee until his death in 1960.
Lux Leaves Last Impression On Ivy Field …
Senior Christine Lux’s final regular season game at Melissa Cook Stadium nearly yielded the same results as her final regular season game at Ivy Field in 2008 … Lux went 4-for-4 with two home runs – including a grand slam – and tied a program record with seven RBI in an 11-3 rout of Wisconsin (April 29) in five innings … with the two round trippers against the Badgers, Lux became the program’s single-season leader with 16 home runs, breaking the record of 15 she set in 2008 and 2009 … the seven RBI tied a record Lux shares with Megan Ruthrauff … Lux last accounted for seven RBI in a five-inning win over Eastern Michigan in 2008, the final Irish softball game before closing the door on their former facility, Ivy Field.
Irish Set Home Record …
Notre Dame finished the home portion of the regular season with a 19-0 record in the friendly confines of Melissa Cook Stadium, the most home wins ever by an Irish squad … the 2001 team went 18-0 at Ivy Field, and finished the season with an overall record of 54-7 … Christine Lux batted .510 while posting a 1.143 slugging percentage on eight home runs and seven doubles in front of the home crowd in 2010, while Jody Valdivia went 15-0 at home during the regular season with a 1.12 ERA and 78 strikeouts in 81.1 innings … she also had nine shutouts … Notre Dame hit .402 with 34 home runs and a .757 slugging pct. on its home turf … the Irish outscored the opposition, 146-30.
Sort-of-Cycles …
Heather Johnson went 4-for-4 with three RBI and scored three times in game two of a non-conference doubleheader with Bowling Green (April 28) at Melissa Cook Stadium … Johnson hit a two-run home run, two doubles and her first career triple while nearly clinching the cycle … Johnson finished the doubleheader with six hits in seven at-bats, five RBI and a slugging clip of 1.857 … Alexa Maldonado could not have asked for more on April 24 against Villanova as she notched five hits in five trips to the plate, hit for the cycle on the day, drove in four runs, scored four more, ended game two with a three-run dinger, and set new career single-game highs in hits (three) and RBI (three) … after Notre Dame’s contest earlier this season against Stephen F. Austin (Feb. 21), Maldonado sat at 3-for-23 (.130) on the season and was hitting .194 (27-for-139) for her career … but in the next 38 games the sophomore was red hot, batting .404 (36-for-89) with 27 runs scored, 14 extra base hits – including all four of her career home runs – and 19 RBI.
Runnin’ Ova’ ‘Nova …
Notre Dame scored eight runs in the second inning of an April 25 contest against visiting Villanova as the Irish blanked the Wildcats, 10-0, in five innings … it was third time in the three-game series that the Irish needed just five innings to deal a loss to Villanova (by respective winning scores of 8-0, 11-3 and 10-0) … for the series, Notre Dame outscored Villanova, 29-3, with a slugging clip of .902 and batted .492 with a 0.93 ERA.
Valdivia Strikes Again …
In game one with Bowling Green (April 28), Jody Valdivia tossed a two-hitter with nine strikeouts which earned her the title of Notre Dame’s all-time leader in wins for a single season … it was the 31st win in 2010 for Valdivia, who bettered Brittney Bargar’s total of 30 set in 2008.
Irish Use Sacrifice To Get Past Crusaders …
Dani Miller went 2-for-3 with a home run and four RBI, including a walk-off sacrifice fly to score Katie Fleury from third in the bottom of the seventh to give Notre Dame a 7-6 non-conference win against Valparaiso (April 21) … Miller stroked a three-run homer in her first at-bat of the game, one of 11 hits for Notre Dame … it was her third home run in three career games versus the Crusaders, as she homered in both ends of the 2009 doubleheader … Sadie Pitzenberger was a perfect 3-for-3 with a run scored and Fleury added two hits and crossed the plate twice … the game featured two ties and five lead changes with the squads combining for 23 hits.
Whatever You’re Doing, Keep Doing It …
Jody Valdivia has been quite a force on the BIG EAST scene for the last few seasons … earlier this season Valdivia did not allow an earned run in 37.2 straight frames, a streak which was halted at DePaul (April 22) with her first BIG EAST loss in 20 decisions, dating back to 2008 … her 20-0 thrashing of league foes (not including BIG EAST Tournament outings) included 20 starts and 23 appearances with a 1.14 ERA in 135.2 innings and 144 strikeouts … furthermore, the winning streak featured one no-hitter, four one-hitters, seven shutouts, only 22 extra-base hits and five games with 10+ strikeouts while holding the opposition to a .175 batting average … Valdivia is also 4-0 with a 0.45 ERA in 15 career relief appearances and holds a current string of 22.1 consecutive scoreless innings when she is not the starter.
Johnson Does It Again …
Third baseman Heather Johnson was named the BIG EAST Player of the Week (April 12) for the second time after she helped the Fighting Irish hold on to its unblemished conference record with a three-game sweep of USF (April 10-11) … Johnson showed she could play under pressure as she went a perfect 2-for-2 at the plate with a solo home run and a sacrifice fly in a nationally televised victory over USF (April 10) on CBS College Sports … she continued her strong play in game two of the doubleheader, blasting her first career grand slam and finishing with five RBI … for the week the third baseman totaled seven RBI while hitting .500, slugging 1.500 and recording an on-base mark of .500.
Taking USF By the Horns …
Jody Valdivia hurled a one-hitter with six strikeouts to lead Notre Dame past visiting USF, 2-0, wrapping up a three-game sweep of the Bulls on April 11 … Valdivia’s 13th shutout of the season boosted Notre Dame’s home record to 9-0 … the Irish sweep ran the team’s winning streak over the Bulls to five contests following a two-game sweep in 2009 … Valdivia finished the series with two wins and an ERA of 1.00 in 14.0 innings of action … a pair of comeback wins provided plenty of highlight-reel material for Notre Dame in Saturday’s doubleheader with USF (April 10) … the nation’s leader in team batting average entering the day, Notre Dame racked up 16 hits in the twinbill including three doubles and three home runs … two of the homers came off the bat of Heather Johnson and her game-two grand slam was part of an eight-run fourth inning.
Lux Is the First Ever …
With 10 home runs this season, Christine Lux is the only player in school history to have 10+ home runs in three campaigns … Lux posted a single-season school record 15 home runs in 2008 and 2009.
All Good Things Come To An End …
Sadie Pitzenberger saw her 26-game hitting streak (Feb. 20-April 1) come to and end in the series finale with Rutgers … she broke the school record with a single in her second at-bat in the first of two games at Seton Hall on March 27 … Dani Miller held the previous record (21) and accomplished the feat as a freshman in 2009 … coming off a pair of knee injuries that sidelined her for much of her freshman and sophomore seasons, Pitzenberger was used primarily as the lineup’s designated player early in the season and became a fixture in the outfield during the Southern Miss Mizuno Classic (Feb. 20-21) … in fact, the hitting streak began with her first defensive start against Louisiana Tech (Feb. 20) … over the course of the 26-game streak, Pitzenberger was good for 43 hits (nine doubles, six triples), 30 runs (scored at least once in all but five games) and 17 RBI in 94 at-bats … amazingly, she struck out only once … Pitzenberger posted a .469 on-base percentage and a .681 slugging pct. with a .457 batting average during the jaunt … furthermore, Pitzenberger was not walked once during the streak.
Two Times Three …
Notre Dame kept its focus during a pair of rain delays and used three two-run home runs to help down Rutgers (April 3) by an 8-0 count in a game that lasted 5:25 … Notre Dame’s fourth home run, a solo blast by Alexia Clay, ended the game in unconventional walk-off fashion in the sixth inning … Notre Dame was out-hit by Rutgers, 6-5, as all but one of the Irish hits went for four bases … Christine Lux, Brianna Jorgensborg and Dani Miller each accounted for the two-run shots.
Junior Duo Sweep BIG EAST Weekly Awards For Second Time …
For the second time in three weeks, Notre Dame swept the BIG EAST Conference’s weekly softball awards (March 29) … Sadie Pitzenberger became the second repeat winner for the Player of the Week distinction and third-year starter Jody Valdivia earned her third Pitcher of the Week award this season (the only league hurler to earn the award multiple times) … Notre Dame won every game (7-0) for the week by at least four runs, winning five by nine or more … Pitzenberger set a Notre Dame record by extending her hitting streak to 24 games … her two triples on the week gave her six this season, which tied her for second in the nation … the outfielder added to her statistical totals with four doubles, 12 runs, 11 RBI and a stolen base while going 14-for-26 (.538) at the plate … six of her 14 hits went for extra bases … the final game of the week against Seton Hall (March 28) saw Pitzenberger go 3-for-4 with three runs and three RBI … Valdivia went 5-0 with three shutouts (two solo, one combined), including her first career no-hitter during Notre Dame’s BIG EAST opener at Seton Hall (March 27) … the junior extended her winning streak to 17 straight games and moved to 12-0 in her last 12 BIG EAST decisions … she struck out 32 batters in 26.0 innings with 20 of them coming in two starts against the Pirates.
Victories for Valdivia …
Similar to her sophomore campaign, Jody Valdivia shook off a relatively rough start to reel off win after win this season … Valdivia started 2009 with a 2-5 record (including four straight losses in her first four starts) but was victorious in each of her last 17 decisions … the 2010 season started with two losses in her first three outings, but Valdivia rallied to post 17 straight between defeats (Feb. 14 vs. No. 1 Washington – March 30 at Loyola-Chicago) … her 17-game winning streak this season tied her own second-best single-season mark in school history:
Single-Season Winning Streak22 - Kristin Schmidt - 3.2.01-5.5.0117 - Jody Valdivia - 2.14.10-3.30.1017 - Jody Valdivia - 3.18.09-5.15.0916 - Terri Kobata - 4.9.94-5.20.9416 - Jennifer Sharron - 3.28.01-5.5.0116 - Carrie Wisen - 3.30.02-5.10.0214 - Steffany Stenglein - 3.9.05-4.22.0510 - Brittney Bargar - 3.22.07-4.19.07--
Three Century Marks …
Christine Lux became the sixth player in program history to record 100 hits, 100 runs and 100 RBI in a career after scoring her 100th run against Toledo (March 24) … after the doubleheader with the Rockets, Lux had 100 runs, 151 hits and 140 RBI … Katie Laing (’08) was the last Irish players to finish a career with the 100-100-100 accolade.
Hitting the Trifecta …
Three of Notre Dame’s four home runs in game two against Toledo (March 24) came in the fourth inning … Heather Johnson, Kristina Wright and Alexa Maldonado each homered for the Irish … it was the fourth time in school history that the Irish knocked three home runs in the same inning (each of the occurrences have been in the last three seasons) … it was the 10th multi-homer game of the season for Notre Dame.
Lux Named To Honor Roll …
Christine Lux hit her 39th career home run at Western Michigan (March 18), the first grand slam ever for the slugger … Lux accounted for five RBI against the Broncos, the sixth time she recorded 5+ RBI in a single contest in her career … she had two hits and scored twice in the contest … for her efforts, Lux was named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll (March 22).
Welcome Home …
With the doubleheader sweep over Eastern Michigan (March 23) Notre Dame improved to 20-2 overall in home openers, winning its last 13 consecutive … the two losses came in 1992 and 1997 … it was the second true home opener at Melissa Cook Stadium, where the Irish are 2-0 in such contests … Notre Dame had 22 hits in the home-opening doubleheader with Eastern Michigan (March 23) … half of those hits went for extra bases – six doubles, four home runs and one triple.
Defending the Home Turf …
After playing the first 22 games of the season on the road, Notre Dame swept each of its first four home games at Melissa Cook Stadium … the Irish took two games from Eastern Michigan (March 23) and Toledo (March 24) … over that stretch, the Irish scored 37 runs on 42 hits … the team hit 11 home runs, eight doubles and four triples for a .938 slugging pct. … Notre Dame hit .433 as a team, stole 10 of 12 bases, and held opponents to a .200 batting average with a 1.46 ERA.
Gumpf Goes Eastbound for Milestones …
Deanna Gumpf coached her 500th game with the Irish against East Tennessee State (March 6), and won her 350th contest in the home opener with Eastern Michigan (March 23).
We’ll Leave the Light On for Ya …
With the doubleheader sweep over Eastern Michigan (March 23) Notre Dame improved to 20-2 overall in home openers, winning its last 13 consecutive … the two losses came in 1992 and 1997 … it was the second true home opener at Melissa Cook Stadium, where the Irish are 2-0 in such contests … Notre Dame had 22 hits in the home-opening doubleheader … half of those hits went for extra bases – six doubles, four home runs and one triple.
Take Two …
Christine Lux tied the school record with her 36th career home run against Virginia (Feb. 27) and broke the mark one week later against East Tennessee State (March 6) at the UC Riverside Aten Construction Tournament … in the same game she became Notre Dame’s all-time leader in putouts (1,338) when she had an astounding 18 at first base.
Johnson Cops BIG EAST’s Weekly Award …
Senior third baseman Heather Johnson was named the BIG EAST Conference Player of the Week (March 1) after she became the 14th Irish player in 22 seasons to hit at least two home runs in the same game when she did so against Virginia (Feb. 27) … Johnson posted a game-high three RBI in game two against the Cavaliers and drove in a team-best seven runs throughout the four-game invite … Johnson hit .583 with seven hits in 12 at bats and her 13 total bases helped her boast a slugging percentage of 1.083 … she also stole a base and assisted on four putouts from third base … Johnson had three multi-hit and two multi-RBI efforts on the weekend, including at least one RBI in each game.
Double Dipping …
Notre Dame recorded at least 10 hits in each of its four games at the Cavalier Invite (Feb. 26-27) and extended the streak to seven games with double-digit outputs at each of the three games at the UC Riverside Aten Construction Tournament (March 6-7) … in 2003, Notre Dame went 10 straight games with 10+ hits from April 13-23.
40 Never Looked So Good …
Notre Dame outscored the opposition 40-3 through four games at the Cavalier Invite (Feb. 26-27), including a trio of sweeps … heading into the UC Riverside Aten Construction Tournament, the Irish have not surrendered a single run in the second or seventh innings in 12 games.
A Higher Five …
If one home run in a game is nice and two are even better, what do you call five home runs in one game? The Irish are searching for that answer after sending five home runs out of the park against Virginia (Feb. 27) … four different players hit home runs, while Heather Johnson blasted a pair … the last time Notre Dame hit five home runs in one game was in 2003 against Louisiana-Lafayette (Feb. 28) … the Irish also did the deed four times in 2006, 2008 and 2009.
Where’s Maldo?
Alexa Maldonado has been keeping defenses on their heels this season by scattering shots all around the ballpark … at the Cavalier Invite (Feb. 26), Maldonado recorded two triples and two doubles in four games … as a freshman in 2009, Maldonado notched two triples over a four-game stretch at Stanford’s Nike Invitational (Feb. 20-21).
Sister Act …
Christine and Kathryn Lux became the first sisters in program history to not only record hits on the same day, but to homer on the same day … the duo did so Feb. 27 at the Cavalier Invite … Kathryn belted a two-run shot versus George Washington in her second collegiate at-bat … Christine sent her bomb out of the park one game later against Virginia.
Catch Me If You Can …
Seven different Irish players stole at least one base through four games at the Cavalier Invite (Feb. 26-27) … Sadie Pitzenberger led the attack with three swipes.
Valdivia Named BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week …
Jody Valdivia was named the BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 22 … she started each of Notre Dame’s three games at the Southern Miss Mizuno Classic (Feb. 20-21), earning two wins and even notching a save … she tossed 16.2 innings with 24 strikeouts while giving up eight hits as not a single run crossed the plate under her watch … Valdivia limited Louisiana Tech (Feb. 20) to three hits and fanned 13 Techsters … it was the sixth game of her career with 10+ strikeouts … she started against Southern Miss (Feb. 20) and received four runs in the first inning from the Irish offense … she was pulled after the first inning, and Notre Dame then gave up six runs to make it a 7-6 contest in the bottom of the sixth … Valdivia reentered the game with the bases loaded and one out, taking care of the next five Golden Eagle batters to notch the save … Valdivia then blanked Stephen F. Austin (Feb. 21) and squeezed out of another jam in the seventh … sitting on a 3-0 lead, Valdivia gave up three singles in the bottom half of the final frame without an out, but retired the next three batters in order to secure the complete-game shutout.
See the Ball, Hit the Ball …
Amy Buntin (.417) and Katie Fleury (.353) were steady for the Irish at the dish throughout the Kajikawa Classic (Feb. 12-14) … Buntin had five hits – including one double – and three RBI to open her collegiate career … one of Fleury’s six hits was good for two bases as she led the Irish with three hits and three runs against Creighton (Feb. 12) … Christine Lux, Dani Miller and Heather Johnson each recorded home runs for Notre Dame over the four-game stretch … Lux’s three-run jack against Creighton brought her career total to 34, two shy of the program’s all-time record … 10 of the 14 Irish players with an official at-bat recorded at least one hit at the tournament.
Lid Lifter …
Notre Dame’s 11-3 win over Creighton (Feb. 12) marked the most runs ever scored by an Irish team in a season opener … the team posted 11 runs on 11 hits with 11 RBI … by comparison, the Irish finished six games in 2009 with double digit outputs in the hit, run and RBI categories.
A Valiant Valdivia …
Pitcher Jody Valdivia led the way in the season-opening victory over Creighton (Feb. 12) with a complete-game 10-strikeout performance against the Bluejays in the abbreviated six-inning contest, extending her winning streak from the circle to 18 straight games dating back to March 2009 … Valdivia brushed off a shaky start after giving up a two-run homer in the first inning, proceeding to retire 14 of the next 15 batters over the next few frames as the Bluejays managed one more run on two hits in the top of the sixth … with the 10-strikeout performance Valdivia eclipsed the 300-strikeout plateau, becoming the ninth Irish pitcher to do so in a career … it was the fifth game of her career with double-digit strikeouts … Valdivia shouldered the loss one day later against Auburn (Feb. 13) to end the streak … Valdivia appeared in four games at the Kajikawa Classic (Feb. 12-14), pitching 20.0 innings with 26 strikeouts.
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