Box Score SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio -- Wednesday afternoon at Normandy Field marked the Notre Dame College softball team's 2016 Home Opener, and the Falcons picked up a pair of wins over the visiting West Liberty Hilltoppers. The Falcons won both games by a combined margin of 18-1, winning 9-0 in game one before winning 9-1 in game two.
GAME ONE
Notre Dame 9, West Liberty 0 (5 innings)The Falcons took game one of Wednesday's doubleheader in dominant fashion, beating the Hilltoppers via mercy rule, 9-0, in five innings.
Ashley Pokraka tossed a complete game, one-hitter shutout and the Falcons backed her on offense.
Scoring started early for the Falcons, who took a 1-0 lead in the first inning via RBI single from
Shelby Stephens, scoring
Nicole Spuhler.
After a scoreless second inning, the Falcons turned up the offensive firepower in the third inning.Â
With runners on second and third and two outs in the inning,
Perris Stevens launched a clutch three-run home run to center field, scoring
Erin Calhoun and Stephens, to give the Falcons a 4-0 lead over WLU.
Maria Vanadia kept the two-out rally alive, ripping an RBI double to right field that scored
Kayla Sidorski, giving NDC a 5-0 lead through three innings.
Pokraka continued to cruise through the Hilltoppers lineup, making quick work in the fourth inning to give the Falcons another crack on offense.
The Falcons scored four more runs in the bottom of the fourth, keyed by RBI hits from Calhoun, Stevens and Vanadia. With the four-run effort, NDC extended its lead to 9-0 going into the fifth inning.
Needing three outs to secure the mercy rule victory, Pokraka and the Falcons again made quick work of the WLU offense, securing a 9-0 win for NDC in game one.
GAME TWO
Notre Dame 9, West Liberty 1Game two of Wednesday's doubleheader began as a pitchers duel, but the Falcons scored seven runs in the fifth and sixth innings combined to earn a 9-1 win over WLU.
The Hilltoppers took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning, but it was all Falcons from then on.Â
Amy Hoover lifted an RBI single in the bottom of the second inning, scoring
Perris Stevens and tying the score at 1-1.
In the third inning,
Shelby Stephens continued a strong freshman campaign with an RBI single to right, scoring
Nicole Spuhler to give the Falcons a 2-1 lead.
A scoreless fourth inning led to a power-packed fifth inning, where Stephens and
Kayla Sidorski each homered for NDC, equating to a three-run inning for the Falcons.
The sixth inning proved to be a team effort, as a bevy of singles kept the Falcons' offense churning. Back-to-back RBI singles from Stephens and
Erin Calhoun pushed the Falcons lead to 7-1, and a two-run double from
Maria Vanadia made it 9-1, forcing the mercy rule and giving the Falcons a Wednesday sweep over WLU.
With the wins, the Falcons improve to 7-8 on the season, including a 2-0 mark in Mountain East Conference play.
The Falcons will return to action on Saturday, March 19 on the road at Fairmont State in another MEC doubleheader. Game times are scheduled for 2 pm and 4 pm on Saturday.
