BLACKSBURG, Va. – Freshman Addison Amaral hit her second home run in as many games in the series finale with the No. 23/20 Virginia Tech Hokies Sunday afternoon. The Fighting Irish dropped the contest 11-5, falling to 8-8 on the season and 0-3 in Atlantic Coast Conference competition. Virginia Tech improves to 15-3-1, and 0-3 in league action.
Kami Kamzik made her first collegiate start Sunday. The freshman threw four-plus innings, allowing three hits, six runs, five earned. Alexis Laudenslager was first on in relief. The graduate transfer threw in the fifth inning, allowing two hits, four earned runs and picking up a strikeout. Micaela Kastor threw the sixth, allowing a run and a hit.
The Irish offense outhit the Hokies, led by a pair of two hit efforts. Emily Tran finished 2-for-2 with a walk and scored a run, while Mickey Winchell added a 2-for-4 performance and an RBI. Amaral’s home run was the only extra base hit for the Irish as Cassidy Grimm and Anna Holloway each tallied singles.
How It Happened
Virginia Tech got on the board in the bottom of the first inning with an unearned run. A fielder’s choice and a ground ball put a runner at second with two outs. Kamzik got the ground ball needed, but it kicked away from the Irish defender, allowing the batter to reach first and the runner to score from second for the early lead. A solo home run in the second extended the lead to 2-0 Hokies.
The Irish battled back, scoring a run in the top of the third inning. Gaskins led off and drew a walk before being lifted for a pinch runner. A sacrifice bunt from Amaral put Tenley Sweet in scoring position. Winchell lifted a fly ball to shallow right to score Sweet and cut the Hokie lead in half.
In the top of the fifth, it was the Irish using the long ball to gain an advantage. A leadoff walk to Tran started the rally as Kloss reached on an error after laying down a sacrifice bunt. Amaral lifted the first pitch of the at bat beyond the trees in left field to put the Irish up 4-2.
The Irish lead was short lived as the Hokies plated eight runs in the bottom of the fifth to take the 10-4 lead.
Virginia Tech added a run in the sixth before Notre Dame put an inning together in the seventh. Back-to-back walks started the rally before a single through the left side loaded the bases. A sacrifice fly to left brought in a run, but a lineout to left field ended the threat as the Irish fell, 11-5.
Up Next
The Irish return to the diamond next weekend in Huntington, West Virginia for the Marshall March Madness tournament. Notre Dame will play five games in three days, taking on the host Thundering Herd twice, as well as in-state foes Indiana State two times and closing the weekend with Ball State.