Feb. 19, 2006
The University of Notre Dame softball team (2-2) evened its record at 2-2 in 2006 with a 6-4 victory over UNLV (5-3) on day two of the Desert Classic hosted by the Rebels. The Irish rebounded from a 5-0 setback to #14 Oregon State earlier in the day with a solid offensive showing against the tournament’s host team. Big hits were delivered by seniors Meagan Ruthrauff (two-RBI double) and Mallorie Lenn (RBI double) and the second home run of the season for freshman Linda Kohan.
Rookie Brittney Bargar picked up the victory, her second of the season with 4.2 innings of work, six hits, four runs (all earned), five walks and six strikeouts. Senior Heather Booth picked up the save for Notre Dame (the fifth of her career), finishing off the final 3.1 innings, striking out four of the six batters she faced.
After struggling to just three hits against Oregon State in the first game of the day, the Irish offense came out aggressive against UNLV. After two close scoring chances in the first and second inning, Notre Dame finally broke through in the top of the third. Junior Stephanie Brown led off with a single up the middle, which was followed by another single to centerfield by Kohan. Sophomore Katie Laing stepped in next and sent what appeared to be a routine ground ball to third base, but UNLV’s Kendall Fearn threw high across the infield at first base. Brown scored on the play, pinch runner Sarah Smith ended up at second and Laing was easily safe at first.
Ruthrauff was due next and the Irish clean up hitter came through by drilling a pitch deep into the right-centerfield gap. Smith and Laing scored on the play and Ruthrauff ended up at second base – but would not stay there long. Lenn followed up with a double of her own, this one into the left-centerfield gap to score Ruthrauff and put the Irish up 4-0.
The lead increased to five runs two outs later on an RBI single from junior Carissa Jaquish. Kohan added on yet another run with a solo home run down the leftfield line in the fourth inning. The game was starting to look like a runaway – but UNLV decided to rally.
The Rebels came back with two runs on three hits and two walks in the bottom of the fourth to cut the Irish lead to four runs. The lead diminished even more in the fifth inning when Jaci Hull and Brittany Freight touched Bargar for back-to-back solo home runs. A comfortable six-run cushion was suddenly an uneasy two-run lead.
Enter Booth, who completely shut down the Rebel offense the rest of the way. She retired six of the seven batters she faced in the game – including five by strikeout – with the only blemish a base on balls in the sixth inning. Helped by a great diving catch by Gessica Hufnagle in leftfield to secure the first out of the seventh inning, Booth struck out the final two UNLV batters to earn the first save of the year for Notre Dame.
The tournament will wrap up tomorrow morning at 9:15 a.m. PT when the Irish face CS Fullerton at the SLC Fields on the outskirts of Las Vegas. Notre Dame will then return home for classes this week before a tournament at Florida International next weekend.