Thursday, April 19, 2007

Valparaiso registered seven hits Thursday afternoon in Notre Dame, Ind. against the Fighting Irish, but was unable to push any runs across the plate, falling to Notre Dame, 5-0.

Taylor Callahan (Pendergrass, Ga./Greater Atlanta Christian) led off the game with a single, extending her hitting streak to nine games. But she would be erased on a double play to end the half-inning.

All the damage the Fighting Irish would need came in the bottom of the first inning. Katie Laing recorded a one-out RBI double to plate the first run of the game. After a pop-out, Notre Dame (24-14) recorded four consecutive run-scoring hits, including RBI doubles from Christine Lux and Beth Northway, to take a 5-0 lead after one inning.

The Crusaders would threaten in most of the remaining frames, putting multiple runners on base in the second, fourth and sixth innings and getting a runner to third base with less than two outs on two different occasions. But Irish hurler Brittney Bargar worked herself out of every jam, earning the shutout victory to move to 16-7 on the year.

Andrea Zappia (Indianapolis, Ind./Franklin Central) took the loss for the Crusaders, falling to 5-6 on the season. Zappia allowed 11 hits and five runs, all earned, in her six innings of work, but allowed just four baserunners in the final five frames.

All seven of Valpo's hits came from the top five spots in the batting order, led by two base knocks apiece by Megan Carroll (Eaton Rapids, Mich./Eaton Rapids) and Shannon Robinson (Toronto, Ontario/John Redmond). Karen Korb (Indianapolis, Ind./Lutheran North) extended her hitting streak to nine games with an infield single in the sixth inning.

Valparaiso (22-11) returns to the diamond on Saturday as the Crusaders travel to Brookings, S.D. to take on South Dakota State. First pitch of the doubleheader is slated for noon.