Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio -- The Notre Dame College softball team dropped a pair of games to the visiting Saginaw Valley State Cardinals in a non-conference doubleheader on Thursday afternoon at Normandy Field. The Falcons fell short by a narrow 3-2 score in game one before losing the second game of the twin bill, 8-3.

GAME ONE
Saginaw Valley 3, Notre Dame 2

Playing in windy conditions at Normandy Field, the Cardinals and Falcons each had early offense in game one.

Leading off the top of the first inning, the visiting Cardinals used a two-run home run to take the early 2-0 lead over NDC. However, the Falcons responded with offense of their own.

Mackenzie Wallace smacked a single to the left side, giving NDC an early spark. Nicole Spuhler then launched a two-run home run to straightaway center field, tying the score at 2-2 after one inning of action.

In the top of the second, Saginaw Valley used a pair of hits to score one more run, taking a 3-2 lead over NDC. The 3-2 score would hold for the remainder of the game, despite the Falcons' best efforts. 

GAME TWO
Saginaw Valley 8, Notre Dame 3

After a narrow defeat in game one, the Falcons came out swinging on game two. Lydia Sanner pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the first, and NDC took the lead early in the bottom of the first.

Nicole Spuhler reached via error to lead off the inning, and Erin Calhoun earned a one-out walk to put two runners on base for the Falcons. Maria Vanadia ripped an RBI double to the left-center gap, scoring Spuhler while Calhoun advanced to third.

Shelby Stephens was then hit by a pitch, loading the bases for NDC. Kayla Sidorski was also hit by pitch, scoring Calhoun from third in an unconventional fashion as the Falcons took the early 2-0 lead.

Saginaw Valley responded with one run each in the top of the second, third and fourth innings, once again taking a 3-2 lead over the Falcons. The Cardinals scored two runs in the fifth to push NDC's deficit to 5-1 going into the bottom of the fifth.

Mackenzie Wallace hit an RBI single in the bottom of the inning to score Sidorski, cutting the deficit to just 5-3. However, that's as close as the Falcons would come, falling by a final score of 8-3.

Sanner finished the game having scattered six hits across four innings while allowing just three earned runs. At the plate, Sidorski went 1-for-2 with one run scored and one RBI. 

With the loss, the Falcons fall to 8-15 on the season. NDC will return to action on Friday, March 25 on the road at West Virginia Wesleyan University in a Mountain East Conference doubleheader. Game times are scheduled for 3 pm and 5 pm.