SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – A pair of close games between Notre Dame College and Concord University resulted in two wins for the Mountain Lions, on Monday afternoon. The Falcons took an early lead in game one, but Concord tied the game and won 5-2, in nine innings. In the second game, the Falcons fell in another close game, 3-1.
Senior
Shelby Stephens, who entered the day on a five-game hit streak, reached first base on an error in the first inning. With two outs, sophomore
McKenzie Zigmont homered for the third time in 2019, putting the Falcons up, 2-0.
Zigmont took to the pitcher's circle and did a nice job of maintaining her lead. After giving up a leadoff double in the bottom of the first, she retired 13 straight Concord hitters. Back-to-back doubles gave Concord their first run in the fifth and then the Moutain Lions tied the game when they had back-to-back doubles in the sixth inning. Kylie Kent had the RBI double to knot the game up at two.
Neither team scored again until the ninth inning. With two runners on and two out, Kent came up big with a walk-off three-run home run.
For Notre Dame, Zigmont (9-13) was given the loss after she pitched the first 4 1/3 innings. She then came back into the game to pitch the eighth and ninth. Junior
Taylor Olson pitched 2 2/3 innings. Freshman
Mikaela Fording was the only Falcon to have two hits.
To start game two in the circle, Olson went head-to-head with Darby Fitzpatrick. Through five shutout innings, Olson had allowed just four hits to Concord, while Fitzpatrick had allowed six hits to NDC.
In the sixth inning, Fitzpatrick was removed for Cartney Schoolcraft, who had also entered in relief to get the win in game one. Stephens and Zigmont greeted her with back-to-back doubles, putting the first run on the board.
Concord quickly responded in the bottom of the inning when Jenna Witt had an RBI single and, later in the inning, two scored on an error. CU would hold on to that score and won, 3-1.
Stephens, Zigmont and Swiger all had two hits as NDC outhit Concord, 9-6. Olson (9-14) was given the loss even though she allowed just one earned run.
Notre Dame will host West Virginia Wesleyan College on April 24 at 12 and 2 p.m. It is a makeup series from earlier this season.