In the first game, the visiting Lady Falcons (14-8, 7-1 AMC) jumped out to a 3-0 lead after three trips to the plate. Mallory Harder ripped an RBI-double in the top of the first inning and then added a run-scoring single along with an RBI-single by Anna Ball in the top of the third inning.

MVNU (6-10, 3-5 AMC) battled back to take a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the third inning with help from the Notre Dame defense that committed three errors in the inning that led to three of the runs being unearned. Junior catcher Caitlin Murphy (left) also had an RBI-single in the frame.

The score remained that way until the top of the sixth inning when the Lady Falcons used a pair of walks, a wild pitch, and a run-scoring ground out by Tara Meyer to knot the score at 4-4.

After the game moved into extra innings still tied at 4-4, Notre Dame pushed across two runs in the top of the eighth inning on a two-out, two-run single by Meyer to centerfield as the Lady Falcons took a 6-4 lead that would hold up for the victory.

Senior right-hander Candace White (6-8) suffered the loss for the Lady Cougars as she gave up seven hits, five walks, and six runs over eight innings with five strikeouts.

Harder (1-1) picked up the win in relief for Notre Dame as she tossed 5.2 scoreless innings and scattered five hits with four strikeouts. Meyer started and lasted just 2.1 innings as she gave up six hits and four runs (just one earned) with one strikeout.

Offensively, senior third baseman Karly Clay and freshman outfield MacKenzie Shaw each had three hits apiece, while Murphy also added a pair of hits. Harder and Meyer each had two hits apiece to pace the Lady Falcons with Mayer driving in three runs.

Notre Dame again took an early lead in the second game when Jillian Gigliotti gave the Lady Falcons a 1-0 advantage in the top of the first inning.

MVNU responded with four runs in the bottom of the first inning to take a 4-1 lead. Murphy blasted a two-run homer to centerfield to start the scoring, while junior shortstop Tasha Konkle and senior designated player Laura Morris (right) each drove in a run with a single and a double respectively.

An error by the Lady Cougars led to a run for Notre Dame in the top of the third inning, but MVNU pushed the lead back out to 5-2 in the bottom of the third inning on an RBI-single by junior first baseman Michlle Gastin.

The Lady Falcons inched closer in the top of the fourth inning when an unearned run pulled Notre Dame within 5-3. Then, in the top of the fifth inning, Harder led off with a home run, Steph Tartaglione had an RBI-double, and the Lady Falcons were able to steal a run on a delayed steal of home to regain the lead 6-5.

Notre Dame tacked on three more runs in the top of the sixth inning to take a 9-5 advantage. Tartaglione and Meyer each drove in a run with a single, while the other run came in as the result of an error.

In the top of the seventh inning, Michelle Dykes led off the frame with a solo home run to extend the Lady Falcons’ lead to 10-5.

That run would prove to be an important run as the Lady Cougars rallied with four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to pull within 10-9 before coming up just short as the final out was recorded with the potential tying run at third base and the potential winning run at first base. Junior outfielder Leslie Banichar had a two-run double in the inning, and an error by Notre Dame allowed two more runs to score.

White suffered her second loss of the day as she gave up six hits, three walks, and five runs over the final three innings with one strikeout. Freshman right-hander Meagan Brookes started and worked four-plus innings as she scattered seven hits, three walks, and five runs with just three earned.

Meredith Harbarger (6-4) went the distance on the mound for the Lady Falcons as she scattered 16 hits, one walk, and nine runs over seven innings with five strikeouts.

Morris led the Lady Cougars by going 3-for-4 at the plate, while Clay, Murphy, Konkle, and Shaw each added two hits apiece. Meanwhile, Gigliotti had three hits and Harder, Tartaglione, Dykes, and Nicole Spehar finished with two hits each for Notre Dame.

MVNU will continue what will end up being four doubleheaders in four days on Thursday when the Lady Cougars travel to Cedarville University for another AMC twinbill that will start at 3:00 p.m. This doubleheader had originally been scheduled for Monday but got moved due to the poor weather conditions.