Blue Demons Struggle at Notre Dame
4/13/2006 12:00:00 AM | SOFTBALL
NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The DePaul softball team dropped a pair of BIG EAST games to Notre Dame on Thursday at Ivy Field. The Irish won the first game, 5-0, and the second game, 3-1, to take the series win and improve to 26-12 overall and 9-1 in the BIG EAST. The losses drop the Blue Demons to 19-14 and 5-5 in league play.
Starters Stephanie Blagaich and Heather Booth were locked in a pitchers dual through four innings until the Irish tagged Blagaich for four runs in fifth and sealed the win with a run in the sixth. Blagaich tossed four shutout innings but gave up 11 hits to fall to 7-3 on the season. Booth (14-8) registered her sixth shutout and scattered five hits and struck out six.
The Blue Demons threatened to score the first run of the game in the fifth inning. Freshman catcher Jackie Tarulli-Fisher led off the inning with a double off the right field wall and advanced to third on Blagaich's single. However the DePaul threat ended as the next two batters were called out and Tarulli-Fisher was tagged out at third.
Notre Dame used two doubles and three singles to take a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth. Center fielder Stephanie Brown singled to get the Irish bats started and the next three batters reached on hits to the outfield. Linda Kohan ended the Irish scoring with a RBI double to the right side.
Meagan Ruthrauff connected on a RBI single in the sixth inning and gave the Irish their final run and 5-0 victory.
Brown went 4-for-4 to lead all players in the first game.
The Blue Demons plated the first run of the nightcap, as a hit batter came back to haunt Irish starter Brittany Bargar in the first inning. Sophomore Marcy Wilus took the free base and scored three batters later on a wild pitch.
Sophomore Sandy Vojik and junior Kate Sheaks each knocked a double to begin the second and fourth innings, but the Blue Demon offense could not manufacture a run in either inning.
DePaul starter junior Tracie Adix held the Irish scoreless through three innings, but a fourth inning surge netted two runs on four hits. Mallorie Lenn closed out the Irish scoring by sending a long ball over the right field fence. Notre Dame won game two, 3-1.
Adix (5-4) took the loss, scattered seven hits and walked no batters.​​​​​​​
Tarulli-Fisher was perfect at the plate and registered two of DePaul's four hits in the second game.​​​​​​​
Bargar (12-4) earned the win and struck out six.
The Blue Demons will break from conference play and welcome Chicago rivals Loyola and UIC to Cacciatore Stadium for midweek games. DePaul will play a single game with both the Ramblers on Tuesday and the Flames on Thursday, respectively. Action begins at 3:00 p.m. both days.