April 12, 2000
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The 18th-ranked Notre Dame softball team picked up a pair of victories, 7-0 and 8-0, in a doubleheader sweep of the visiting Butler Bulldogs Wednesday at Ivy Field. With the wins, the Irish improved to 31-9, while the Bulldogs, who have not scored a run in their last seven games, fell to 9-26.
The Irish scored the first run of the doubleheader in their first at bat as sophomore Jennifer Kriech (Indianapolis, Ind.) and junior Melanie Alkire (Union City, Calif.) both scored from second on RBI singles. An inning later, the Irish continued their production on offense, tallying three more runs to take a 5-0 lead. After adding another run when freshman Alexis Madrid (Temecula, Calif.) scored on a wild pitch in the fourth, Notre Dame moved its lead up to 6-0 when sophomore Jarrah Myers (Carbondale, Kan.) tripled with two outs and scored on junior Danielle Klayman’s (San Diego, Calif.) double to right-center field.
Notre Dame starting pitcher Jennifer Sharron (Agoura Hills, Calif.) had a perfect game going until the top of the sixth inning when outfielder Andrea Keech punched a singled up the right field line past freshman first baseman Lisa Mattison (Granger, Ind.). Butler leftfielder Katie Finley then recorded her team’s second hit of the game, a single to left field, to put runners at first and second with one out. Sharron, however, struck out the next batter, and then got shortstop Tammy McCune to pop out to end the threat.
Sharron picked her 16th win of the season by pitching six innings, allowing just the two hits and striking out 10, before giving way to her sister Jessica Sharron (Agoura Hills, Calif.) in the seventh inning.
Kriech scored the first run again in the second game, getting on the board with a lead-off double and then scoring from third on a single by freshman Andrea Loman (Riverside, Calif.). The Irish took a 4-0 lead in the second, scoring all three runs with two outs on RBI singles by Madrid and Jennifer Sharron and a RBI double by Kriech.
Butler threatened in the top of the third with one out and runners at first and second, but shortstop Jeri Keller lined into a double play to shortstop to end the inning.
After adding another run on a Lizzy Lemire (Irvine, Calif.) sacrifice fly, Notre Dame ended the game an inning early when sophomore Rebecca Eimen (Mannford, Okla.) reached base on a drop third strike, moved to second on a wild pitch and then scored the game’s final run on a double to left-center by Alkire in the bottom of the sixth.
Alkire picked up her seventh win of the season, moving to a perfect 7-0, while Melissa Benter fell to 5-12 for the Bulldogs.
The Irish play host to the second of three home doubleheaders this week Thursday, April 12, at 3 p.m. against DePaul. Notre Dame will then travel to Boston College Saturday before playing host to Loyola Sunday at 2 p.m.