Observer Staff Report
Baseball
Notre Dame postponed Wednesday's game against Eastern Michigan due to poor weather conditions. The game will now be played at Frank Eck Stadium on May 1. The first pitch is scheduled for 5:35 p.m.
The No. 22 Irish (19-11, 4-5 Big East), have now dropped two games in a row after winning four straight. Notre Dame's next home game will be April 17 when Bowling Green visits for a midweek matchup.
The Irish return to the field this weekend when they travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Panthers. The games at Charles L. Cost Field will begin at 6 p.m. Friday, 3 p.m. Saturday and noon Sunday.
ND Softball
Notre Dame's game against Toledo that was scheduled for Wednesday was canceled due to inclement weather. The game was rescheduled and will be played this afternoon instead.
The Irish (26-10, 7-1 Big East) enter the contest on the heels of a disappointing 11-3 loss to Northwestern on Tuesday. The team is looking to rebound from being mercy-ruled before they enter this weekend's series against conference opponent Rutgers.
The Rockets (9-23, 2-6 Mid-American Conference) most recently split a non-conference doubleheader against Oakland. This will be Notre Dame's final game before this weekend's Strike Out Cancer campaign. This initiative began in 2011 to support Irish coach Deanna Gumpf and her daughter Tatum, who was diagnosed with leukemia in 2010. The weekend's events include a silent auction, trivia night at The Brick in South Bend, a home run derby, and various promotions. Last year, the team raised over $25,000.
Also notable for the Irish has been the play of sophomore outfielder Emilee Koerner. Koerner has been named one of the 25 finalists for the 2013 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award, given by the Amateur Softball Association of America and USA Softball. Koerner began this week leading the nation in batting average at a .513 clip and leads the team with 58 hits, 31 RBI, 104 total bases and 33 runs scored in 36 games this season.
The action begins tonight at Melissa Cook Stadium at 5:00 p.m.
Saint Mary's Softball
Saint Mary's game against Hope College was postponed due to poor weather.
The Belles (10-10, 2-0 MIAA) are hoping to stay undefeated in conference play with wins against the Flying Dutch.
Saint Mary's won two slugfests against Albion on Saturday to get off to a perfect conference start but followed that performance up with two losses at North Park College on Sunday.
The doubleheader was pushed back until Thursday at 3:30 at Saint Mary's College.
