CLEARWATER, Fla. – Notre Dame opened up the 2025 season at the NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic presented by Max BP, hosted at the Eddie C. Moore Softball Complex. The Irish dropped the first two games of the weekend, dropping to 0-2 early in the season.
Game 1 – Morgan State
Morgan State came out hot, notching three singles in a row to strike first 1-0. An RBI fielder’s choice and the second RBI single of the inning put the Bears up three with no outs still and the bases juiced.
That’s when Kami Kamzick came in to limit the damage. The sophomore right hander entered from the bullpen and struck out two swinging as well as inducing a ground out to leave the bases loaded, halting the Bears in the opening frame.
After two quick outs in the bottom of the second by Kamzick, a double and a walk put more traffic on for Morgan State with runners on the corners. However, catcher Rachel Allen caught the Bears leaning off third base, picking off the runner for the third out of the second frame.
Notre Dame continued to put pressure on the Bears. An infield single by Emily Tran followed by a HBP for Addison Amaral gave the Irish two on with one out. But Morgan State was able to get Irishtwo flyouts to keep Notre Dame at bay.
Kamzik kept the Irish in the game. After taking over in the first, she had settled down the Bears lineup, limiting them to one hit in her three innings of work in relief. The score remained 3-0 Morgan State heading into the fourth.
A leadoff single by Poeck started off the top of the fourth for Notre Dame. An Olivia Levitt walk gave Notre Dame two on with one out for a second consecutive inning. But Morgan State’s starting pitcher Serena Rodriguez continued to work herself out of trouble, initiating two straight fly outs to keep the Irish scoreless.
Kamzik matched her counterpart in the next half inning. The hard throwing sophomore struck out her sixth batter in four innings to escape a jam and keep Notre Dame within striking distance. Kamzik would finish the game with four shutout innings and six strikeouts in her relief role.
Notre Dame finally broke through with a rbi single into right field by Sydny Poeck, which ended up scoring two after an error by the Bears. Freshman Kaia Cortes, making her collegiate debut in her hometown, ripped a sac fly to right to tie the game at three apiece.
After a 1-2-3 inning by Alexis Laudenslager in the bottom of the fifth, the Irish took its first lead when Addi Amaral doubled to right, scoring Mickey Winchell to put Notre Dame up 4-3. The Irish pitching staff struck out seven during Friday morning’s game.
Morgan State would capitalize on Irish mistakes in the bottom half of the sixth, scoring two runs off a critical Irish error in the inning.
With only three outs left, relief pitcher Victoria Fletcher shut the door, getting a 1-2-3 seventh inning for Morgan State and handing Notre Dame its first loss of the season.
Game 2 – Kentucky
Amaral got things going for Notre Dame in the first inning against Kentucky, roping a single down the right field line to score Poeck and Tran. The Irish led 2-0 after the top of the first after taking advantage of two Wildcat errors.
Kentucky’s bats were hot coming off a 7-0 win over Pittsburgh earlier in the morning and the Wildcats carried that momentum into eight runs in the bottom of the first inning off seven hits, forcing the Irish to use three different pitchers in the opening frame. Kentucky would tack on two more runs in the second inning.
With two on in the fourth, freshman Caroline O’Brien recorded her first collegiate hit, a line drive single into right center field that scored both Anna Holloway and Christina Willemssen to cut into Kentucky’s deficit.
The Wildcats got one back in the fourth and one in the fifth when the game was called in the fifth inning.
Notre Dame will look to bounce back tomorrow when the Irish take on No. 5 Tennessee at 1 p.m. and No. 15 Missouri at 6 p.m.