Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio -- On a cloudy, windy day with less-than-ideal conditions, the Falcons strung together two ideal performances. NDC swept the visiting West Liberty Hilltoppers in a Mountain East Conference doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at Normandy Field, winning 6-0 and 11-3.

GAME ONE
Notre Dame 6, West Liberty 0

Nicole Spuhler had a hot day at the plate on Saturday, and started off with an RBI single in the first inning, scoring Mackenzie Wallace and giving the Falcons a 1-0 lead. Little did the Falcons know at the time, that hit by Spuhler would end up being the game-winning hit in just the first inning.

After holding the Hilltoppers scoreless in the first inning, Ashley Pokraka repeated that performance in the second inning, and again in the third inning. Pokraka looked sharp through the first three innings, limiting WLU to three hits and no runs.

Ashley Hall came in to pitch at the start of the fourth inning and picked up where Pokraka left off, holding WLU scoreless in the fourth. After NDC went scoreless in the bottom of the fourth, Hall made quick work of WLU in the top of the fifth, retiring the Hilltoppers in order.

Leading by just one, 1-0, going into the bottom of the fifth, the Falcons knew they needed insurance runs, and that's exactly what they received.

Amy Hoover hit a leadoff single, and Kelsey Coleman launched a two-run bomb to right field, giving NDC a 3-0 advantage through five innings.

After Hall pitched scoreless fourth and fifth innings, Wallace came in as the Falcons third pitcher of the game. Following suit of Pokraka and Hall, Wallace also had no issues with the Hilltoppers lineup, tossing a scoreless sixth inning.

In the bottom of the sixth, Nataly Ciocca ripped a one-out double to spark another NDC rally. An error by the Hilltoppers eventually allowed Ciocca to score and push the lead to 4-0. However, the Falcons weren't done there. Coleman ripped another two-run home run in the sixth inning - her second of the game - to give NDC a 6-0 advantage going into the seventh.

From there, Wallace closed out the game and secured the 6-0 win for the Falcons.

GAME TWO
Notre Dame 11, West Liberty 3

Game two got off to a different start, but ultimately the same result for the Falcons. WLU's Kalyn Hanby hit a solo home run to lead off the game, but it was all NDC from there on out.

After allowing the leadoff home run, Ashley Hall returned to dominant form and again made quick work of the Hilltoppers in the second inning. In the bottom of the second, Spuhler continued a strong day with an RBI single to score Anna Myers and tie the game, 1-1.

The Hilltoppers again went down quietly in the third inning, largely due to strong pitching from Hall. In the bottom of the third, however, is when the Falcons put together a five-run explosion.

Amy Hoover and Kelsey Coleman hit back-to-back singles to start the inning, and Mackenzie Wallace walked to load the bases with no outs. Myers went on to ground out to the pitcher, but allowed Coleman to score in the process, giving NDC a 2-1 lead. Tayler Graver and Spuhler also had RBI singles to add to the Falcons rally, and Nataly Ciocca ripped a double to right field to drive in two more runs.

At the end of the third inning, the Falcons held a comfortable 6-0 lead. However, the lead wasn't quite comfortable enough.

NDC tacked on two more runs in the fourth due to an error by the Hilltoppers, making the Falcons lead 8-0 through four innings.

After Hall pitched four scoreless innings, Pokraka came in and pitched the last two innings to close out the deal and seal an 11-3 win via mercy rule over West Liberty.

The Falcons will return to action on Monday, March 23 on the road against Ashland University. First pitch of game one is set to begin at 3 p.m.