EVANSTON, Ill. – The University of Notre Dame softball team dropped a 3-1 contest to the McNeese Cowgirls Saturday night at Sharon J. Drysdale Field. The Irish survived its first elimination game of the night earlier after defeating Oakland, but couldn’t carry the momentum into the matchup with the 2022 Southland Conference Champions. The Fighting Irish finish the season with a 40-12 record, marking the 18th time in program history and the first since 2016 that the Irish have reached the 40-win plateau.
Freshman Shannon Becker got the start in the circle. The Third Team All-ACC honoree threw 5.1 innings, scattering seven hits, three runs, two earned and struck out a pair. Alexis Holloway came on with the bases loaded and an out in the sixth, getting a lineout and taking care of a ground ball herself in her final appearance at Notre Dame.
At the plate, Notre Dame was led by a 2-for-3 effort from sophomore Joley Mitchell. Mitchell brought in the only Irish run of the night with her fourth home run of the season. Karina Gaskins, Carlli Kloss and Brooke Marquez each had a hit in the loss.
After four scoreless innings, McNeese broke the tie with a lead-off home run in the bottom of the fifth. After a single and an error put another runner in scoring position, a ground ball moved her up before the Irish misplayed a chopper as McNeese added an insurance run in the frame.
The Cowgirls added a run in the sixth as a stolen base of third and an errant throw allowed a run to score to extend the lead to 3-0.
The Irish got on the board in the top of the seventh as Mitchell led off the inning with a solo home run. Notre Dame had the winning run at the plate, but the Irish’s season ended on a hard hit ground ball to the second baseman.