CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The University of Notre Dame softball team scratched home a run in the top of the seventh inning and rode a gutsy performance from freshman Shannon Becker in the circle to earn a 3-2 win over the Virginia Cavaliers Sunday afternoon. The Fighting Irish improve to 17-6 on the season, and 1-2 in Atlantic Coast Conference play. Virginia falls to 15-10, and 2-1 in league action.
Becker worked the full 7.0 innings, throwing a career-high 137 pitches. She scattered 10 hits, allowed one walk and struck out five in her first ACC appearance.
The offense was led by a pair of two-for-four games from Leea Hanks and Abby Sweet. Sweet connected on her fourth home run of the season and drove in two. Emma Clark drove in the game-winning run in the top of the seventh. Karina Gaskins added a 1-for-1 performance with a pair of walks. Jane Kronenberger scored the game-winning run, coming off the bench in the seventh inning with a base hit.
Notre Dame jumped on top early, as Hanks led off with a single and was driven home when Sweet connected on her fourth home run of the season to put the Irish up 2-0.
Virginia tied it up in the bottom of the third. A hit batter turned the lineup over and Lauren VanAssche drove a single to left center to score one. A double put runners in scoring position for Gabby Baylog who swung and had the pitch hit her in the wrist, hand area but went into fair territory. Becker fielded it, and tagged Baylog out, but the runner from third took advantage of the confusion during the live ball and scored to tie it.
The Cavaliers threatened in the bottom of the fourth and fifth innings. In the fourth, with a runner on first, a ground out to third got the second out and the runner from first tried to take third. Gaskins’s throw to third was wide and the pinch runner rounded third hard. Hanks, backing up the throw down the left field line, threw to third and the Irish executed the run down to perfection, getting the runner as she was trying to get back to third.
In the fifth, Virginia loaded the bases with a walk and two singles. The Cavalier clean-up hitter tapped a chopper to Cassidy Grimm who was playing halfway down the line at third base, who fielded it clean and threw to Shelby Grimm for the second out. Becker then got the fifth hitter in the Cavalier lineup to roll over a ground ball to shortstop Anna Holloway for the routine out to keep UVA off the board.
The Irish broke the tie in the top of the seventh, scoring the go-ahead run. Kronenberger got the rally started as she singled on the first pitch of her plate appearance. After a ground out moved her to second, Hanks singled to left to put runners on the corners. Clark chopped a ground ball to third, and Kronenberger slid under the tag to put the Irish up 3-2.
Virginia got a two-out hit in the bottom of the frame, but Becker struck out her fifth hitter of the day with a fastball on the outside corner to end the game.
Up Next
The Irish will open the home schedule this week, hosting Detroit Mercy and Western Michigan on Tuesday and Wednesday at 5 p.m. and 4 p.m., respectively.