SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – Following the doubleheader sweep of Alderson Broaddus University, Notre Dame College's head coach Kelsey Stopp said back-to-back shutouts are not easy. The last time NDC shutout the same team in a doubleheader was April 15, 2017. The Falcons accomplished that feat again on Wednesday, defeating AB 5-0 in game one and 3-0 in game two. In the first game of the day, Grace Fisher reached 100 strikeouts in her freshman season.
 
The Notre Dame offense came to play, as well. Graduate student Alexi Maciejowski hit three home runs and the Falcons totaled eight extra-base hits over the two games.
 
In the bottom of the second inning, of game one, sophomore Ella Collinsworth led off with a double. Maciejowski came up next and hit a home run over the fence in left field to put NDC up 2-0.
 
"I just felt really comfortable in the box," Maciejowski mentioned. "My teammates have had my back all season and I just step up there relaxed."
 
Freshman Lindsay Breuer walked to start the bottom of the third and freshman Kelly Troup came on to pinch-run. She immediately took off and stole second base, but an error on the throw by the catcher skipped past everyone up the middle and rolled toward the center field wall. Troup came all the way around to score.
 
Maciejowski could not be stopped as she launched a ball to left-center field for a solo shot to start the fourth. Two batters later, sophomore Destany Blake singled and stole second base. Senior Emily Marsh hit a ball into the gap and over the fence for an RBI ground-rule double to give Notre Dame a 5-0 lead.
 
Alderson Broaddus did not get a hit until the third inning and did not have a runner in scoring position until the fifth. The Battlers best chance at putting a run on the board came in the fifth when they had runners on first and third base. A run did not cross the plate.
 
NDC's pitcher Grace Fisher (8-7) picked up the win in the complete game shutout, her fourth shutout of the season. She struck out eight batters on Wednesday and has now struck out eight, or more, hitters in four games this year. Fisher already has 102 strikeouts in her first collegiate campaign and needs just seven more to crack the top 10 in program history for a single season.
 
"I knew I had to throw a lot of spin pitches [today] and keep them off balance," Fisher said.
 
Maciejowski joins the list of Falcons who have hit two home runs in a game. She went 2-for-2, walked once and totaled three RBI. Freshman Danielle Fick also had two hits and would extend her hitting streak to 10 games with another base hit in game two.
 
To start game two, AB had runners on second and third in the first inning, but NDC pitcher Allison Weilnau (11-8) was able to get out of the jam. NDC had runners on first and second in the bottom of the inning, but neither team scored.
 
Sophomore Alyssa Wahl doubled to lead of the bottom of the second inning. Later, with two out, Breuer shot one up the middle for an RBI single.
 
Alderson Broaddus led off the second and third inning with a single and had a double in the fourth but could not find a way to get a run home.
 
Maciejowski gave the Falcons an insurance run with her third home run of the day, with this one hitting halfway up the Keller Center building in left field to lead off the fourth inning. NDC added a third run in the fifth inning. Fick doubled, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by junior Katelyn DeWeese and scored on a groundout off the back of Gumont.
 
Weilnau got the win in a complete game shutout, while striking out eight hitters. She did allow seven hits, but got out of any trouble throughout the day.
 
"I love watching this pitching staff," Stopp said. "[Fisher] has been killing it all season, as a freshman. That's really tough to do. You can see her focus in the circle and her competitiveness. Ali [Weilnau] was incredible. She was pumping the ball today."

Eight hitters totaled one hit in the second contest for Notre Dame.
 
The Falcons have equaled their home win total (10) and conference win total (13) from last season. The team's 23 wins is already the most in a season since 2017.
 
NDC will head to Institute, W.Va. for a matchup with West Virginia State, on April 15. Game one of the doubleheader is scheduled for 1 p.m.