Jackson softball team captures 8-inning thriller against Notre Dame

~ The Indians won the game on a two-out, two-run single

The Jackson softball team gathered in the outfield near its dugout following its home game against Notre Dame on Thursday night and huddled around a phone to video chat with Jackson coach Ashley Litzelfelner.

Litzelfelner, a Notre Dame graduate, was sick with strep throat and was anxiously awaiting the result of the game from her home when she got the news from her players that they'd defeated her alma mater 9-8 in extra innings.

"She said she was about to have a heart attack," assistant coach John Keith said with a laugh.

The Indians (11-6) trailed 8-7 going into the bottom of the eighth inning.

Center fielder Sophie Wunderlich singled to lead off before catcher Taylor Kirn hit a one-out double.

First baseman Mallorie Maintz stepped to the plate with the runners in scoring position and two outs and drove the ball into center field for the win. It was her third hit of the night.

"Going up to the plate I knew that with us being down I needed to lift our team up and take that momentum from the last inning even though we were down," Maintz said. "I just focused on hitting it, getting a good solid hit. [I thought] 'Don't worry about hitting it over the fence,' and just focused on getting my teammates in because that's all that really matters, and it ended up paying off."

Jackson had come from behind to take a 6-4 lead after five innings and led 7-5 going to the seventh.

Notre Dame catcher Morgan Duschell reached on an infield single and scored after a couple of Jackson errors. The Bulldogs tied it when Jackson shortstop Kayla Keith misfielded a Payton Friga hit.

Notre Dame freshman Madison Landeros hit a two-out single to left in the top of the eighth to score left fielder Taylor Hess and put the Bulldogs back on top before Maintz came through in the bottom of the inning.

"They had the middle of their order coming up, and once we got into the situation and got two outs, we started feeling pretty good," Notre Dame coach Jeff Graviett said. "But it's a tough group to get out and it's a lot to ask [pitcher] Haylie [Santos] to do when she hasn't thrown a lot the last few weeks."

Notre Dame plated four runs in the top of the first inning. A fifth runner crossed home plate, but the run was waved off when it was ruled the runner tagged up and left the base too early on a fly ball.

Jackson scored once in its half of the inning to make it 4-1.

The Indians pulled within a run in the fourth inning when freshman Sicily Johnston singled home a pair of runs, and Jackson took the lead in a three-run fifth.

"We really thought we needed to extend that because they do hit the ball extremely well, and we knew that," Graviett said. "You just really want to extend that lead out, and when we didn't do it, I knew it was just a matter of time before they were going to catch up with this. Then they took the lead, and I told the girls I'm really proud of them for the fact that we fought back and tied it up in the seventh and then took the lead in the eighth. But we've just got to find a way to close the door."

The Bulldogs (12-5) had defeated Jackson 5-2 in the Seckman Invitational on Saturday, and the teams could meet again in the Jackson Invitational this weekend.

"It's just a great win," Keith said. "It's been a long time since we beat Notre Dame. Anytime you beat Notre Dame in softball that's a great accomplishment for a team."

Jackson 9, Notre Dame 8

Notre Dame 400 001 21 -- 8 14 0

Jackson 100 231 02 -- 9 13 3

WP -- Sicily Johnston. LP -- Haylie Santos. 2B -- Sophie Wunderlich (J), Erica Gray 2 (J), Taylor Kirn (J). Multiple hits -- Notre Dame Christina Scherer 3-5, Madison Landeros 2-5, Morgan Duschell 3-5, Taylor Hess 3-4; Jackson Megan Clippard 2-5, Wunderlich 3-5, Kirn 2-5, Gray 3-4, Mallorie Maintz 3-5, Johnston 2-4.