SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio -- Notre Dame swept a doubleheader from east-side neighbor Ursuline on Wednesday, as the Falcons snapped a three-game losing streak with a pair of American Mideast Conference wins. (Gm-1 | Gm-2)

Notre Dame (11-19, 3-3 AMC) evened its league mark at 3-3 with the home-field victories. Prior to the meeting with the Arrows (6-18, 2-8), NDC had lost five of its previous six games. The two wins were as different as can be -- NDC topped Ursuline, 10-0, in the opener and 1-0 in the nightcap.

#Christina Hutchison# and #Ashley Harbarger# combined to pitch 12 shutout innings on the afternoon. The sibling combination of Melissa and Michelle Dykes paced the NDC offense, with each garnering three hits over the two games.

NDC took the opener in convincing style, taking a 3-0 lead in the first and then cruising to the 10-0 win behind power hitting and the right arm of Hutchison. #Michelle Dykes# launched two home runs and #Christine Kasidonis# hit her first collegiate round-tripper; those two knocked in half of NDC's 10 runs. As a team, the Falcons banged out 12 hits in the run-rule shortened game. Hutchison went the distance in the circle. The Ashtabula, Ohio, native blanked the Arrows, scattering four singles and walking one while striking out five. The game marked her best outing since tossing five shutout frames on March 2.

In game two, Ashley Harbarger dueled UC's Ciara Seymour into the sixth before the Falcons were able to plate the game's only run. Both pitchers wriggled out of jams on more than one occasion, and Harbarger won the battle getting out of one last scoring situation in the top of the seventh. For the game, the freshman from Akron, Ohio, shut out the Arrows on four hits and four walks. Harbarger struck out six and now owns a 10-2/3 scoreless-inning streak spanning her last two appearances.

Harbarger held UC to an 0-for-4 mark with runners in scoring position; Seymour held NDC to one hit in seven such at-bats. Notre Dame scored its only run of the second game on an RBI single by #Melissa Dykes#.

The Wednesday afternoon tilt with the Arrows marked the first of five straight AMC game dates for the Falcons. Notre Dame started the day in eighth place in the nine-team circuit but having played the fewest league games (four) of any team in the conference.


NOTES FROM THE NEST …

NDC A-OK VS. UC: With their two-game sweep of the Arrows on Wednesday, Notre Dame is now 17-3 all-time against their familiar east-side foes. Among those 20 games between NDC and UC, the Falcons are 11-1 against the Arrows at Campus Field. Notre Dame has won five straight in the series and 12 out of the last 13. … NDC is now 6-4 at home this season; they had lost three in a row at home before Wednesday's action.

OUTTA THE PARK: Michelle Dykes' two home runs in game one marked her first two of the season. Kasidonis' game one homer, a ball nearly played by the UC left fielder, was the first of her college career. … With their three home runs on Wednesday, NDC has now hit 23 on the season. Last year, the Falcons hit 26 round-trippers in 49 games. … The Falcons' 10 runs in the opener marked their most runs in a single game since March 2. …

SPLITS-VILLE: Through Wednesday's twin bill against Ursuline, Notre Dame is: 9-1 this season when leading after the first inning … 9-4 in games decided by five or more runs … 4-5 in shutouts … 7-0 when scoring eight or more runs … 12-3 when out-hitting their opponent.

END OF THE LINE: Two NDC hitting streaks came to an end on Wednesday. #Charisse Colston# had a 12-game hit streak end in the opener, and #Mallory Harder# saw an 11-game hit streak end in the nightcap.