GREENVILLE, N.C. – The University of Notre Dame softball team closed its spring break trip in North Carolina with a 7-0 victory over the East Carolina Pirates Thursday evening at Max R. Joyner Family Stadium. The Fighting Irish hung crooked numbers in two innings, while freshman Micaela Kastor held ECU hitless through five to earn the 16th victory of the season.
Kastor started in the circle, throwing her second complete game, first 7.0 inning CG. The freshman struck out a season-high nine hitters in the contest, allowing just three hits and walking four.
The Irish offense was led by a pair of two hit efforts. Leea Hanks finished 2-for-4 with two RBI, two runs scored and a double. Lexi Orozco added a 2-for-3 performance with a double, two RBI and scored a run. Payton Tidd and Mickey Winchell each added an RBI to go with a hit. Miranda Johnson finished with a base knock. Carlli Kloss added two runs scored, reaching base with a walk and a hit by pitch.
How It Happened
After two scoreless innings, the Irish broke the tie in the top of the third. Jane Kronenberger was hit by a pitch to start the rally as Winchell reached on an infield hit. The ECU defense threw it away at first, and couldn’t pick it up clean, allowing Kronenberger to score from first on the play, and Winchell to take third. After Kloss was hit by a pitch, Hanks delivered a double to center field to score both and extend the lead to 3-0. A fly out to deep left moved Hanks up and Orozco brought her in with a single to take lead at 4-0.
After a scoreless fourth, Notre Dame added on three more in the fifth. A walk to Kloss started the rally as she went first to third on a single to right. Gaskins brought a run in with a ground out and Orozco doubled to bring in another. Tidd extended the lead with a single of her own to bring in the third run of the inning, extending the lead to 7-0.
ECU got runners on in the sixth and seventh, but Kastor worked out of the jams to preserve the 7-0 win.
Up Next
The Irish will take this upcoming weekend off before opening the home schedule Tuesday night. Notre Dame will host Miami (Ohio) at 5 p.m. at Melissa Cook Stadium.