SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame softball team dropped a 9-2 contest to the visiting Virginia Cavaliers Friday evening at Melissa Cook Stadium. The Fighting Irish fall to 21-13 overall and 6-7 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Virginia improves to 25-10 overall and 8-5 in league action.
Alexis Laudenslager started in the circle, throwing 2.2 innings. The graduate student allowed six hits, six earned runs and struck out five. Micaela Kastor came on in relief, throwing 2.1 innings, allowing four hits and two earned runs to go with a strikeout. Kami Kamzik finished the game out, throwing 2.0 innings, allowing a hit and an unearned run to go with four strikeouts.
The Irish offense managed just four hits in the contest. A double from Anna Holloway was the lone extra-base hit, with Addison Amaral, Karina Gaskins and Mickey Winchell each recording a hit. Holloway and Emily Tran drove in runs.
How It Happened
The Cavaliers struck first in the second inning, scoring three runs. Three singles loaded the bases with one out. After a strikeout, Jade Hylton tripled to right field to go up 3-0.
Notre Dame answered for a run in the bottom of the frame. Kronenberger drew a walk and took second on a wild pitch before Holloway drove her in with a double to right center.
Virginia tacked on three more in the top of the third. Back-to-back one-out singles put two on before a two-out walk loaded them up. A walk and a single drove in three as Cavaliers took a 6-1 lead.
With two outs in the fifth, Virginia hit a two-run homer to extend the lead to 8-1.
The Irish scored a solo run in the bottom of the fifth, getting a sacrifice fly from Tran to cut the lead down to 8-2 before Virginia tacked on an unearned run in the seventh.
Up Next
The Irish and Cavaliers will return to the diamond Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. for the second game of the series at Melissa Cook Stadium.