Eastern Hits the Road for Single Non-Conference Game Against Notre Dame

EASTERN HEADS TO SOUTH BEND FOR SINGLE GAME: The Eastern Michigan University softball team will play a single non-conference contest Wednesday, April 1 againt Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. First pitch from Melissa Cook Stadium is slated for 4 p.m. Fans who cannot attend the game can catch all the action on WatchND.com.

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST THE FIGHTING IRISH: Notre Dame holds the 16-2 advantage in the all-time series with Eastern Michigan. The last time the two teams met on the diamond, the Fighting Irish came away with a 12-2, five inning victory over the Green and White. EMU was the first to get on the scoreboard in the contest when Abby Davidson laced a double down the right field line, but UND came back to notch eighth runs in the third inning and four in the fourth to secure the win over EMU, March 26, 2014.
   The Eagles are looking to capture their first victory over Notre Dame since the 2007 season, when they earned a 2-1 win at Melissa Cook Stadium, April 10.

EMU RALLIES FALL SHORT IN MAC CONTESTS: In its opening Mid-American Conference contests, the Eastern Michigan softball team used late rallies to come back against the RedHawks of Miami University, but they would not be enough as the Green and White started off conference play 0-2. The Eagles used a five-run seventh inning, including two home runs, to knot the score at 7-7 and force the game into extra innings Saturday, March 28. EMU was unable to hold on in the eighth, falling to the RedHwaks, 9-7.
   In the series finale, it was again Miami who got out to the first lead, scoring in the first four innings before relief pitcher Abbie Minsker was able to end the MU scoring, tossing 3.2 innings of scoreless softball. Although the Eagle defense was able to shut down the Miami offense, the Green and White was unable to finish its comeback, dropping a 9-4 contest Sunday, March 29.

EAGLES SPLIT NON-CONFERENCE CONTEST IN DETROIT: The Eastern Michigan University softball team split its mid-week non-conference doubleheader with the Titans of the University of Detroit Wednesday, March 25. The Eagles (8-16) fell 8-7 in game one in eight innings before coming back to defeat the Titans (2-21), 11-8, in game two.
   EMU was led by Myranda Barnes and Abby Davidson in game one as both went 2-for-3 at the dish, while Katy Wyman drove in three runs for the Green and White. Sophomore pitcher Abbie Minsker suffered the loss in game one after pitching five innings in relief of starter Lindsay Rich.
    In game two, the Eagles were paced by senior Jenn Lucas who drove in four runs, while Barnes and Michelle Kriegshauser plated two runs apiece for Eastern. Freshman hurler Trisha Trujillo earned the win in the circle, pitching four innings, while Alyssa Huntley hurled three innings of relief.
    Barnes finished the day going 3-for-7 at the plate and scoring twice for the Eagles, while Kriegshauser went 2-for-5 with two RBI.

FINDING THE LONG BALL: The Eagles have found success at the plate this season when it comes to home runs. So far in 2015, the Green and White has hit 25 homers, which is already 12 more than it hit in the entire 2014 campaign.
   Furthermore, Eastern is averaging one home run per game with eight players hitting two-or-more long balls in the 2015 season. Sophomore Michelle Kriegshauser leads the charge for EMU with five round-trippers, while Lindsay Rich has tallied four and Katy Wyman has launched three for the Green and White.
   Moreover, Eastern has notched multi-home run games eight times this season, including currently riding a three-game streak with two-or-more homers per game.

MINSKER IS FLAWLESS IN RELIEF EFFORT AGAINST MIAMI: Sophomore relief pitcher Abbie Minsker posted a flawless outing against the RedHawks of Miami University Sunday, March 29. After the RedHawks found a way to score on two of the Eagles' pitchers, Minsker was brought in in the middle of the fourth inning to close out the game for the Green and White. With EMU down 9-4, the Howell, Mich. native tossed 3.2 innings of scoreless softball, giving up just one hit and striking out three for Eastern. Despite the sophomore hurler's efforts, the Eagles were unable to make a comeback, falling to the RedHawks, 9-4.

DAVIDSON POSTS BIG WEEK AT THE PLATE: Junior infielder Abby Davidson led the Green and White at the plate this past week, going 5-for-13 in four games. The Westerville, Ohio native started off the week, notching two hits in three at-bats and scoring twice for the Eagles against Detroit before closing out the doubleheader with one hit and two runs. In the first contest against the Titans, the junior infielder knocked two doubles that would bring in one run for EMU, despite its loss.
   Davidson started off Mid-American Conference play going 2-for-4 at the plate against Miami in the Eagles final game of the two-game series to end her week with a team-best .385 batting average. Finally, the junior third baseman posted a .467 slugging percentage and a .538 on-base percentage after drawing two walks on the week. In the field, Davidson had seven putouts and eight assists for the Green and White.

WYMAN FINDING HER GROOVE AT THE DISH: Sophomore Katy Wyman has started to hit her stride at the plate in the 2015 season, carrying a seven-game hitting streak into this week. The starting second baseman has notched 14 hits this season, half of which came in the past seven games, while driving in 14 RBI for the Green and White. Wyman has a .521 slugging percentage and a .314 on-base percentage for EMU in the 2015 season. Furthermore, the streak matches the best of the season when Jenn Lucas also had a seven-game streak.

NOTRE DAME BY THE NUMBERS: The Fighting Irish come into the mid-week contest with a nine-game winning streak and an unblemished 8-0 record when playing at Melissa Cook Stadium.
   As a team, UND is hitting .319 at the plate while keeping its opposition to a .225 batting average. Sophomore Karley Wester shows no signs of a sophomore slump, posting a team-best .431 batting average with 50 hits and 10 RBI as the leadoff hitter for the Fighting Irish. Furthermore, the starting left fielder has stolen 18 bases on 18 attempts and has stuck out just sven times in 116 at-bats. Batting third for Notre Dame, third baseman Katey Haus has driven in a team-best 28 RBI on the season with 28 hits and a .373 batting average. The senior also carries a team-high .667 slugging percentage and has drawn 12 walks on the season for the Fighting Irish. Lefty second baseman Jenna Simon has proven to be a threat on the basepath for UND this season, swiping 16 bases on 17 tries and posting a .333 batting average. Finally, Notre Dame has proven to be one of the hardest teams to get out this season, striking out just 122 times in 900 at-bats and stealing 50 bases on 57 attempts.
   Ace pitcher Rachel Nasland has been dominant in the circle in her sophomore season, making 24 appearances and 20 starts for the Fighting Irish. The sophomore right-handed hurler has pitched 129.2 innings with a 12-6 overall record, including five shutouts and 13 complete games. Furthermore, Nasland has struck out 130 batters, which averages out to one batter per innings and has give up just 82 hits this season. Finally, the sophomore pitcher holds a team-best 2.21 ERA, while Allie Rhondes carries a 3.34 ERA, having pitched 65.0 innings for Notre Dame in 2015 in 17 appearances and 12 starts.

ON DECK: Eastern continues its nine-game road stint Friday, April 3 when it heads to Akron, Ohio to take on the Zips in a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. The Eagles will conclude the weekend in Athens, Ohio for single game contests Saturday and Sunday against the Bobcats. Saturday's game is slated to begin at 4 p.m., while first pitch on Sunday will be at 1 p.m.

Eastern Hits the Road for Single Non-Conference Game Against Notre Dame

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Players Mentioned

Myranda Barnes

Abby Davidson

Alyssa Huntley

Michelle Kriegshauser

Jenn Lucas

Abbie Minsker

Lindsay Rich

Trisha Trujillo

Katy Wyman

Eastern Michigan Athletics