CLEARWATER, Fla. – Down 3-2 late in the seventh inning, Jane Kronenberger stepped up to the plate as the winning run. A senior from Cincinnati, Ohio, Kronenberger had already driven in a run earlier in the game and was in a 1-1 count when the senior drilled a ball high and deep into the night, sailing over the left field fence to give Notre Dame the 4-3 win over No. 15 Missouri. Notre Dame secured its first win of the season and first for Head Coach Kris Ganeff in her first season as head coach of the Fighting Irish.
Micaela Kastor was brilliant in the circle for Notre Dame. The junior right hander threw a complete game three-hitter for the Irish. She struck out seven on the night and provided the team with a much needed lift Saturday night.
Ganeff earns her first win at the helm for the Irish. After 23 years as an assistant for her alma mater Notre Dame, her first win comes against a top-15 SEC opponent.
Missouri Recap
After a scoreless start for Kastor in the circle, Notre Dame put traffic on early in the bottom of the first after a Caroline O’Brien walk and an Addison Amaral infield single. After O’Brien stole third, Kaia Cortes hit a ground ball that snuck through the right side for her first career hit, scoring the first run of the game.
Missouri would tie the game on a solo homer in the fourth.
In the fifth, the Tigers earned two walks and had runners on the corners with 2 outs. Missouri manufactured its second run of the game on the basepaths, sending the runner on first to bait a throw to second, allowing the leading run to cross home uncontested.
Syndy Poeck led off the bottom half of the fifth with a lead-off ground-rule double over the left center field fence. After Poeck advanced to third on a fly out, Kronenberger lined a ball down the right field line to tie the game at two apiece.
Missouri continued to counter Notre Dame. A catcher’s interference and a walk put traffic on for the Tigers. With two outs, Stefania Abruscato ripped a ball into left, scoring the runner from second to put Missouri back on top going into the bottom of the sixth.
In a game full of back and forth action, the bottom of the sixth was no different. Back-to-back singles got the Irish in business. Continuing the trend they had set the whole game, Notre Dame attempted a double steal that went unsuccessful, getting the Tigers out of the jam.
Kastor trotted back out for the top of the seventh and continued to deal. Getting back-to-back strikeouts to start the frame, she induced a weak ground ball to short for the third out, giving the Irish the opportunity to walk off the Tigers.
The Irish close the NFCA Leadoff Classic tomorrow against Penn State at 10 a.m. and Bethune Cookman at 1 p.m.
Tennessee Recap
After a scoreless top of the first for the Irish, Tennessee loaded the bases with one out. Starting pitcher Alexis Laudenslager danced her way out of trouble however, getting a lineout to third before getting a swinging strikeout to keep the Volunteers off the board early.
Volunteers opened up the scoring in the bottom of the second. With runners in scoring position and two outs, McKenna Gibson hit a bloop fly ball to center, just off the mit of the diving Emily Tran to score two. Next batter Taylor Pannell followed with a two run homer over the left field wall to put a four-spot on the board for Tennessee.
Notre Dame didn’t wait long to strike back. After two Tennessee errors, the Irish had two runners in scoring position with no outs. Freshman Caroline O’Brien drove in the first, reaching on a fielders choice after the play at the plate was safe. Addison Amaral followed next with a sac fly to cut the deficit to two. The Irish chased Tennessee starter Erin Nuwer in the third inning.
The Lady Vols would put up four more the following half inning as Kami Kamzik would relieve Laudenslager during the bottom of the third.
Catcher Rebecca Eckart ripped a single up the middle for her first collegiate hit to lead off the fourth. Notre Dame started three freshmen in the game (Eckart, O’Brien, Kaia Cortes) and had two others come in as substitutes (Caitlyn Early and Brianne Weiss). For Early, it was her collegiate debut.
Tennessee would put a run in both the fourth and the fifth inning when the game was called.