Notre Dame

In Part 1, published on May 16, I detailed my love of sports as a kid and replaced my short and disastrous high school football career with a more enjoyable experience on the Notre Dame cross-country team.

Roundball Remembrances
A big accomplishment for me in my sophomore year was overcoming my diffidence and fear to try out for the Junior Varsity basketball team. I was 6 feet 3 inches tall, and my friends kept goading me to give it a shot (no pun intended). Making it difficult however was the fact that my hoops skills were limited to making a right-handed layup and tying my Converse high-top sneakers. Fortunately for me, the coach was the aforementioned Pete Corbelli and since he knew me from cross-country, we had a good relationship. Somehow Coach Pete put me on the team (to the dismay of a few other guys who were probably better players), and I always thought maybe it was because he saw a kid who needed a boost in confidence. I will always be indebted to him for his kindness.

Again, I don't remember much about any of the games that season. I just recall feeling like a possum in the headlights every time Pete would put me in the game because I pretty much had no idea what I was doing. As the year went by, I must have learned some basic skills just by going to practice every day. The thing that made me the happiest was that I got to be part of a team, even if didn't get to play very many important minutes.

In my Junior year, I wasn't eligible for JV anymore (even though that was probably my skill level), so I had to try out for the Varsity. The coach was Lucien “Lou” Lodestro, so I couldn't count on Corbelli to sneak me in again. Unbelievably to me (and probably to a bunch of guys who got cut), I made the team. 

I remember approaching the team roster Coach Lou had posted on the gym door with trepidation and just standing there stunned when I saw my name. I guess inheriting tallness genes from my dad (the rest of his brothers and sisters were short) made the difference. Being six foot three was sometimes a pain (feet hanging over the end of the bed, hitting my head on low-hanging light fixtures, dancing with shorter girls if I could even work up the nerve to ask them), but in this case, it worked in my favor.

I don't know our team record from that year, but I'm sure we had a losing one. Coach Lou gave me some decent playing minutes, and it always put a big smile on my face if I scored (rarely) and the cheerleaders would break into, “ Ho Hi Sip Si, Dave Reilly, he's our guy.” The season highlight was making the winning layup in one home game on a pass from senior teammate Don Andrews who had stolen the ball. Why I was in the game at the end is a mystery. Maybe some guys had fouled out, or a mysterious illness had swept through the team.

One of the good things about having been part of a team is the shared memories that you and your teammates have, including humorous ones. 

One of our games was in Buffalo against St. Mary's School For The Deaf. This was a small private school that served a particular type of clientele and had probably under 100 students. One of their players was named Bob Sheak, and he had received a lot of press in Buffalo for his achievements on the court. Some of us, thinking we were funny, were joking about him on the bus and in the locker room, saying that he would probably come out in a turban (Sheiks wear a traditional headgear called a keffiyeh but we were ignorant high school boys) and a robe with a harem of cheerleaders. Well, he came out all right in a regular uniform and scored a bunch of points, and they beat us. 

That night was another bunch of lessons learned about life by us.

Another funny incident (although not at the time) was when our old team bus broke down at a Thruway toll booth. Our athletic director, Father Dave Scheider, got the whole team out of the bus by exclaiming,” What are you guys waiting for? The bus isn't going to start itself!” and we collectively pushed it until our long-time driver Gordon Judd popped the clutch and got it started. That must have made quite the scene for passing drivers. We had to laugh through our embarrassment.

A completely ridiculous thing a few of us did after school and before practice was to sneak outside to Soccio Street to have a cigarette in brothers Bill and Jack Bishop's old car they drove to school. Were we nicotine-addicted fiends? Not at all. We actually only took a few drags because we were rushed for time and didn't want to get caught. Personally, at that time, I bet I didn't even smoke 10 cigarettes a week. Why did we do it? Why do teenagers do a lot of silly things? A bit of rebellion, a bit of trying to get away with something, maybe.

On one occasion, Father Scheider did catch a couple of us smoking outside the gym exit door, and we got suspended for a game. Taking away my less-than-stellar production was not going to hurt the team, but I think I stopped sneaking smokes after that because I was embarrassed and felt I had let Father Scheider (who was a good guy) down.

A couple of humorous memories of Father Dave: When he was coaching (he had been an outstanding athlete at Batavia High) or just cheering us on from the stands or sidelines, if he got upset with something we did, he would yell out, “C'mon you pork chop!” That was his priestly epithet of choice. I think a local restaurant at the time should have had Father Dave Pork Chops on their menu.

One year in basketball, a number of us had started making the sign of the cross for luck before shooting free throws. After a few games of this, Father Scheider addressed it in the locker room in no uncertain terms.“ Knock that stuff off pork chops! You do the playing, we'll do the praying.” 

He was a character for sure.

Senior Struggles
In my Senior year, 1963-64, either Lou Lodestro or the school decided that coaching both football and basketball was too much for one man, so a former Niagara University player named Don Satterly was hired for the hoops job. This move turned out badly for me. Coach Lou must have realized that we didn't really have the talent to win a lot of games, so he tried to give everyone (even me) a chance to play. Coach Satterly had different ideas and spent the season trying to overachieve. His management style could be summed up in one pre-game speech he gave,“ Hey, you guys. Some of my friends are coming to the game tonight, so don't embarrass me.”

We were having a miserable season, and I was playing very little, if at all. I understood that I wasn't very good, but when we were losing by 25, and I didn't even get in at the end for a couple of minutes, it was very defeating. I came to practice every day (and then had to take the city bus to the other end of town and walk half a mile to my house) and worked as hard as anyone else.

The final straw came after a Friday night away game at Le Roy. There was a big crowd, including a lot of our fans (many of our students, including some teammates who came from Le Roy to our Catholic school), and as we entered the court, the Le Roy Band (we didn't have a band) broke into the Notre Dame Fight Song. Being a huge ND fan since I was little, this actually gave me goosebumps. 

Well, we were 1-9 at the time, and it didn't take long to see that we were going to be 1-10. In the last few minutes, we were down by 20, and there I sat on the bench, watching the seconds tick away. All the pre-game warm feelings had evaporated into a mixture of sadness and anger.

I can't remember if some words were exchanged with the coach in the locker room when we got back to Batavia, but it would have taken a lot of nerve from a shy kid like me to speak up. I guess I probably muttered, “I quit” and walked out the door.

Afterward, I fumed all that night and all day Saturday. I knew I had to do something to stand up for myself, though. 

The following day on Sunday, there was an away game at Cardinal Mindzenty in Dunkirk, which was 90 miles away. Our team manager, Wally Sorenson, had a car, and I found out he was going to drive there on his own. I asked if I could go with him, and my act of defiance was to sit in the crowd and let the coach see I was there. I didn't do anything overt or cause any problems. I just wanted him to be aware of me. He probably didn't care much, but I did. It was a sad end to a disappointing season and experience for me.

Getting On Track
As my senior year and high school days moved toward a close, I still had bad feelings about how basketball had ended. I wanted to do something sports-wise to finish up on a positive note. Baseball was not an option, but some of my friends and teammates from the cross-country team were also on the track and field squad, and they encouraged me to join them.

I had never been a good distance runner, but the coach, the previously mentioned Father Dave Scheider, gave me a chance at running the quarter mile event (now 400 meters) and also being one of the four runners on the mile (today 1500 meters) relay team. Once again, I wasn't outstanding in any way, but I did come in third a few times and helped the relay team be victorious in some meets. 

It was a good positive experience, and I felt like I contributed more than just being the team clown. 

One race I do remember was that I was actually in first place heading to the finish line, and about 5 yards from the finish line, my legs just totally gave out, and I ended up doing a face plant into the cinder (there were few synthetic rubber surfaces back then) track. I think I was able to get up and take third, but the first aid kit supplies of iodine and band-aids definitely got used on the bus on the way home.

My most memorable track experience did not even involve me directly. At the end of the year, All Catholic Meet at the University of Buffalo Stadium, my teammates and I cheered wildly in the stands as fellow senior Dan Martin surprised everyone (except perhaps himself) and won the prestigious mile race. Not only did he beat everyone from our small school division, he also triumphed over more well-known runners from the much larger Buffalo Catholic schools.

We celebrated with Dan all the way back to Batavia on the bus after that stunning upset.

Notre Dame Hall Of Mediocrity
After graduating in 1964, I moved on to St. John Fisher College in Rochester. At that time, like Notre Dame, it was a very small school. Even so, I had no illusions that I could make any of its teams and never bothered to try out. I played some intramural basketball, but that was it. Later in life, I resumed playing basketball with some fellow teachers and friends and am proud to say that I managed to play until age 66.

Of the thousands of students who have played sports at Notre Dame since 1951, I would definitely rank in the bottom ten percent. I guess in my favor would be that I participated on three separate teams and earned a varsity letter in each. I certainly have no regrets (except for my senior year of basketball) and do have pleasant memories of being a participant and teammate with some great guys like Mike Palloni, Jim Heatherman, Dan Martin, Don Andrews, Bill Rideout, Dick McEneny, Jim Fix, Paul Messina, Tom Howe, Pat O'Gorman, Bob Callahan, Joe Scanlon, John Francis and more. 

Overall, playing sports contributed to widening my experiences and bringing me out of my shell of shyness. Go Irish!

Press Release:

The Rotary Club of Batavia has awarded college scholarships of up to $6,000 to each of the three local students. This year's Rotary Scholarships were awarded to: Hannah Spencer, Genesee Valley Educational Partnership (GVEP), LeRoy; Courtney Daniel, Notre Dame High School and Lauren Reimer, of Batavia High School. 25 applications were received for 2023 rewards, according to Andrea Aldinger, co-chairperson of the Rotary Scholarship Committee.

“Narrowing the selection down to three was close to impossible,” Aldinger said, “after all the interviews, it still was unclear as these students were so incredibly talented.” She noted that many of the students had already achieved their Associate's Degree before graduating high school.

The Rotary Scholarship program began more than 40 years ago. Each year one student is selected from Notre Dame HS, Batavia HS, and the Genesee Valley Educational Partnership, formerly known as BOCES. Rotary awards each student $1,500 per year for four consecutive years as long as the student maintains a GPA of at least 3.0.

Committee Co-chair Mike Hodgins said at any one time, as many as 12 students are receiving annual awards totaling $18,000. The program is funded by various Rotary events throughout the year. The scholarships were awarded during a regular meeting of the Rotary Club of Batavia. The students and their parents were invited to attend. 

Hannah Spencer, who attends LeRoy HS, told Rotarians that she studied with the Justice Academy at GVEP. She plans to pursue a Nursing Degree at GCC and transfer to another school for a Bachelor’s degree.

Scholarship winner Lauren Reimer of Batavia High School said she plans to pursue a medical degree at the University of Albany. She earned an unweighted cumulative high school average of 99.65%. Lauren will graduate high school with honors and has already earned an Associate’s Degree from GCC.

Courtney Daniels, Notre Dame’s awardee, is set to study Political Science at Fordham University. She was a member of the National Honor Society and attended The NY Governor’s Youth Council as a representative for Wyoming County. Her ultimate goal is to become a New York State senator.

Two previous winners attended this year's ceremony to update the club on how they were able to use their Rotary Scholarships. Carissa Kesler used her scholarship to buy a laptop computer in 2019 when the COVID pandemic hit.  She said it was her pipeline for remote learning at GCC and later at SUNY Brockport. “With the help of Rotary, I graduated with no student debt,” Carissa said.

Taylor Sanders attended Niagara University and is now pursuing her medical degree at LECOM in Bradenton, Florida.

Photos submitted by Dan Fischer

In his opening remarks for the last class of Notre Dame graduates he will oversee, Principal Wade Bianco bragged about the parochial high school by way of praising the accomplishments of the Class of 2023.

"This class, 37 of them, 37 graduates, has a four-year GPA, that is 16 quarters in an unweighted school -- no grades are cushioned. Here, there is no cushion. You got to earn it. This class has an 8.71 GPA."

The class, he said, has earned $3,719,068 in scholarships.

He said the average graduate in the Class of 2023 is leaving high school with 22 college credits. 

"When you come to our school, you can take that last year of college and knock it off," Bianco said. "Most of our graduates are done with college after three years because they front-load many of their courses at our school with teachers that they know and trust, and what better way to earn college credit at a reduced cost? And our kids have done an incredible job with that."

After noting that Notre Dame -- though he said some people won't believe it -- is an academics-first school, he listed the 12 sports teams that won sectional titles in the past four years, including two in girls basketball, two in girls soccer, a long with baseball, volleyball, boys basketball, girls swim, tennis, and football. 

The co-salutatorians were Maylee Green and Aaron Treleavan, who used their speeches to also highlight the accomplishments of their classmates, from involvement in sports to academic pursuits and school clubs.

Valedictorian Brenna Munn said the Class of 2023 faced many challenges and face new challenges ahead but that the class is ready to step into promising futures.

"What matters now is the impact this class makes on the world," Munn said. "We will no longer roam our two hallways. We'll walk along city streets or from lecture hall to lecture hall. Whether our high school participation included a team sport or clubs, we now find ourselves thrust into society with fewer activities but with an impact on a much higher scale."

Photos by Steve Ognibene.

Submitted game story:

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish stole the lead late and defeated Gowanda Panthers 6-5 on Saturday at Frontier High School. 

The game was tied at five with Notre Dame batting in the top of the seventh when Hayden Groff's sac fly scored one run for the Fighting Irish.

Notre Dame built a four-run lead in the fifth inning and then held off Gowanda's charge. The Panthers managed four runs in the failed comeback. Tyler Smith, Blake Herman, and John Ondus powered the rally with RBIs.

The Irish got on the board in the second inning when a Gowanda error scored two runs

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Gowanda tied things up at five when Ondus singled on a 1-1 count, scoring one run.

After Notre Dame scored two runs in the top of the fifth, Gowanda answered with two of their own. Notre Dame scored when Hayden Groff singled on a 2-0 count, scoring two runs. Gowanda then answered when Smith singled on a 1-1 count, scoring two runs.

Ryan Fitzpatrick was the winning pitcher for Notre Dame. The righthander lasted two innings, allowing five hits and two runs while striking out two and walking zero.

Ondus took the loss for Gowanda Panthers Varsity. 

Bryceton Berry started the game for Notre Dame. The ace went five innings, allowing three runs on three hits and striking out six.

Cole Herman started the game for Gowanda. Herman surrendered three runs on three hits over two and two-thirds innings, striking out two

Groff led the Irish with two hits in three at-bats.

Ondus went 2-for-3 at the plate to lead Gowanda Panthers Varsity in hits.

The Fighting Irish will next play Chatham of Section 2 on Friday at Maine-Endwell High School in the state semi-final.  Chatham is the defending Class C state champion and is currently ranked #1 in Class C by MaxPreps.

Photos by Pete Welker

This Sunday at Resurrection Parish, Notre Dame High School will hold its 69th commencement exercises at 2 p.m. for the Class of 2023.

Press Release:

Join us Sunday, June 11 for the 26th Annual Notre Dame Foundation Golf, Tennis, and Bocce Tournament. The event is hosted by Terry Hills Golf Course for Golf and Bocce and Batavia High School for tennis.

The event features:

• Four-Person Golf Scramble
• Bocce and Tennis Competition
• Beverages served throughout the day
• Cash Bar and Dinner following completion of the tournament

Registration for Golf begins at 11:30 a.m. Registration for Tennis and Bocce begins at Noon. Lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m - 12:30 p.m. (included with your registration).

This year the event is being held in honor of Bradley F. Rogers. Mr. Rogers was a devoted Notre Dame supporter, Notre Dame JV and Varsity Basketball coach as well as a Batavia High School track and golf coach.

He will be remembered as a respected educator with a passion for sports and an overwhelming love for his family.  We at Notre Dame take great pleasure in honoring him this year for the legacy he leaves behind.

Join us in supporting Notre Dame High School for a fun day of golf, tennis, bocce, prizes, food, and drinks. We hope to see you there!

Submitted photo from 2021

Submitted story:

Notre Dame lost a pitcher's duel Tuesday evening in Fillmore against D2 Champion Scio/Friendship.  

Scio opened up the game by scoring a run in the bottom of the first on two of their four base hits.

That one run held up through all seven innings of the contest as Scio pitcher Nevaeh Ross gave up only one hit and struck out 16 batters. 

Mia Treleaven thwarted Ross's bid for a no-hitter in the top of the seventh inning. 

Ross also led the Scio offense with two hits

In the Class B crossover game, Batavia lost to Wellsville, 15-0.

Blowouts are rare in title games, but that's what the Notre Dame Fighting Irish did on Tuesday in a game between two Class C champions to see who will represent Section V in the Far West Regional Championship.

The Irish, who won the Class C1 crown, beat the C2 champs 17-4.

The game was played in Canandaigua.

Notre Dame scored eight runs in the first inning.

Jaden Sherwood notched the win, allowing just three hits and four runs over five innings while fanning nine. Ryan Fitzpatrick came on in relief for the final two innings and recorded all six outs by Ks.

The offense banged out 13 hits, with Sherwood, Jordan Welker, Bryceton Berry, and Chase Antinore all getting multiple hits.  Sherwood went 3-5. Jay Antinore had three stolen bases.

Photos by Pete Welker.

 

Saturday was quite the sports day for Notre Dame High School with both the baseball and softball teams winning championships.

When the teams returned to Batavia, they were met in the Eastown parking lot by Batavia PD patrols and a City Fire truck and given a championship escort through Downtown.

Photos by Howard Owens.

See also:

• Berry tosses shutout for Notre Dame in Class C2 title game
• Notre Dame takes D1 softball championship with win over Lyndonville

Notre Dame used a balanced offensive attack, flawless defense and, as always, solid pitching to pull out the 5-2 win in the Class D1 Sectional finals over Lyndonville on Saturday afternoon in Fillmore.  

Notre Dame scored runs in the second, third, five, sixth and seventh innings and stopped a late rally by Lyndonville in which the Lady Tigers scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh.  

Starter Loretta Sorochty fanned the last two Tigers to preserve the win. She was named MVP of the tournament.

Sorochty pitched a complete game for the Lady Irish, going seven innings, giving up five hits, two runs and had 11 strikeouts.  

Lyndonville pitcher Shaffer gave up 11 hits, five runs and had six strikeouts.

Leading the way offensively for ND were Sorochty, Mia Treleaven, Sonji Warner and Anna Panepento, who each had two hits.  Sorochty had a double, single, a run scored and an RBI. Treleaven had two singles and an RBI. Warner had two singles, and Panepento had two singles and an RBI.  Katie Landers added a base hit, scored a run and was hit by a pitch twice. Cayleigh Havens had a base hit, and Kaydence Stehlar had a hit and a run scored.

Notre Dame now moves on to face the D2 champion Tuesday night in Fillmore.

"I couldn't be more proud of these ladies," said Coach Otis Thomas. "Between the fall league at MCC, the winter workouts and all the practices we had this spring, it is nice to see their hard work pay off.  This a special group that plays for each other and I hope we can keep this momentum going a little longer and see how far we can go."

Submitted game story:

Bryceton Berry threw a gem on Saturday for the Notre Dame allowing no runs helping the Fighting Irish  beat the Bolivar-Richburg Wolverines 3-0

Berry struck out 15, walked four, and scattered five hits over seven innings.  

The Notre Dame defense behind Berry did not commit a single error.

Landon Barkley took the loss for the Bolivar Richburg Wolverines. The hurler allowed five hits and three runs over three and a third innings, striking out three.  

In a scoreless game in the bottom of the third, Jimmy Fanara, the leadoff hitter for the inning, was hit by a pitch.  He advanced to second on a Jay Antinore single and then to third when Berry grounded into a fielder's choice. Ryan Fitzpatrick grounded out to third, scoring Fanara for the game's first run.  Jaden Sherwood would follow with an RBI double.  

The Irish scored again in the fourth.  Jordan Welker reached on a fielder's choice, and proceed to steal second and third.  On his steal of third, the catcher's throw went wide of the base allowing Welker to score the game's third and final run.  

Notre Dame Batavia will now face C1 champion Sodus on Tuesday, May 30, at Canandaigua Academy High School at 5 p.m. for the right to represent Section V in the far west regional against Gownada next Saturday.

Photos by Pete Welker.

The Fighting Irish will play for a Class C Section V championship after beating Campbell-Savonia at Dwyer Stadium on Wednesday, 6-3.

Notre Dame scored in the opening frame when Bryceton Berry singled on a 2-2 count, driving in a run.

Berry earned the win, going three 2/3 innings, surrendering only one hit, no runs and striking out nine.

Nolan Jamison took the loss for Campbell-Savona, allowing five runs on three hits and striking out two.

Jaden Sherwood was Notre Dame's starting pitcher, allowing three hits and three runs over 3 1/3, striking out nine.

Jay Antinore went 3-3.

Also, on Wednesday, 

• Elba lost to #1 seed Northstar Christian 5-2.
• Le Roy lost to Penn Yan 6-5.

Submitted info. Photos by Pete Welker.

Notre Dame scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to record a dramatic come-from-behind win in their sectional playoff game against Alfre-Almond on Tuesday at GCC.

Loretta Sorochty tossed a three-hitter, allowing two runs (no earned runs) and striking out 14.

She whiffed the side in the seventh to preserve the lead and secure the win for the Irish.

Katie Landers led the way for Notre Dame on offense with two base hits up the middle. She scored the go-ahead run and drove in the game-tying run in the 6th inning.  

Mia Treleaven accounted for the other ND base hit.  

Sorochty scored the first run in the 6th inning after drawing a walk. When Alfred's defense misplayed a bunt attempt by Cayleigh Havens, Sorochty was able to streak from first base to home. Katie Landers drove a ball up the middle for a base hit, plating Havens, and then she advanced to second on an error by left fielder.  Following an Anna Panepento walk, the bases were loaded. Landers scored on a wild pitch.

"I can't say enough about the fight in these ladies to come back like they did in the sixth inning and pull out the win tonight," said Head Coach Otis Thomas. " Hopefully, we can build on this game and play tough Thursday night."

The Irish, the #4 seed in Class D, play the #1 see Keshequa on Thursday.

Also scheduled for Thursday:

• In Class C: #4 Oakfield-Alabama vs. #8 Addison
• In Class C: #4 Byron-Bergen vs. #1 Bolivar-Richburg
• In Class B: #2 Batavia vs. #3 Midlakes at Batavia HS, game time is 5 p.m.

Submitted photo and information.

Press Release:

Aaron Treleaven has signed to compete in track and football at Hartwick College in Oneonta next year, while majoring in physics. 

He is believed to be the first Notre Dame male athlete to sign for two college level sports. 

Aaron has been an outstanding member of our Irish track teams from 2019 thru 2022 winning the B4 sectional championship in the discus in 2021 while earning Genesee Region All-Star recognitions. 

He was also a standout swimmer for 6 years at ND where he earned multiple GR All-Star recognitions, won sectional titles and qualified for state competition. 

Aaron is an exceptional student who was recently named Co-Salutatorian for the Class of 2023 by posting a GPA that placed him tied for 2nd in his class. 

Submitted photo courtesy of Mike Rapone

Press Release:

The Notre Dame Board of Trustees is pleased to announce that Mrs. Lindsay Warner has been named Assistant Principal, effective July 1. James Sutherland, Board of Trustees president, said, “We are very excited to welcome back a member of our own ND Family to such an important leadership position. Lindsay brings a passion for education and a real love of Notre Dame. We are confident that her return brings continuity and respect to our traditions and values.”

Mrs. Warner brings a vast array of talents and skills, having been in education and leadership for many years. Her intelligence, strong interpersonal skills, and intentional, values-driven leadership style are a strong match for Notre Dame. She believes in student-centered education and has demonstrated a commitment to upholding the potential of every student. Lindsay is a 2001 graduate of Notre Dame and previously served as a varsity coach and faculty member. 

She was the founder of ND’s award-winning business program and was notably awarded the New York State Business Teachers Association’s outstanding new business teacher in 2015. For the last 6 years, Lindsay has served in and out of the classroom at the WNY Tech Academy as a teacher, work-based learning coordinator, program promoter, recruiter, and social media coordinator/developer.

When asked about this opportunity, Lindsay said, "I am grateful to have a place on the leadership team at Notre Dame. Mrs. Lindner and I share common goals: to positively impact the culture of Notre Dame, model an authentic love for learning, and tirelessly promote the value of an education rooted in faith. It is an honor and privilege to be here, and I am looking forward to earning the trust and respect of this school community!"

Please join the Board of Trustees, staff, and faculty of Notre Dame in welcoming Mrs. Lindsay Warner back to her alma mater and to her new position.

Submitted photo

Notre Dame beat Lyndonville 9-6 in Girls Softball on Thursday in a game played at GCC.

The Irish collected 14 hits, but coach Otis Thomas said pitching and defense were key.

Loretta Sorochty went the distance, pitching seven innings, giving up six hits, six runs (three earned) and striking out eight batters.  

Offensively, for Notre Dame, Katie Landers and Sorchty each had three hits to pace the offense.  Landers finished with two doubles, a single, a walk, two runs scored and an RBI, while Sorochty had three singles and two runs scored.  

Mia Treleaven, Kaydence Stehlar and Anna Panepento each had two hits for the Lady Irish. 

"This is a big win for us, and I am proud of the effort given by the ladies this evening," Thomas said. "It got a little shaky in the seventh giving up the 4 runs, but we settled down and got that last out.  As big as this one was, we need to put it behind us and continue our run to Sectionals." 

Submitted photo info.