SYRACUSE, N.Y. – After delaying the start to Saturday’s game by four hours, the University of Notre Dame softball team came out hot and cruised to a 9-0 victory over the Syracuse Orange Saturday night. Alexis Holloway worked a complete game in the circle, added a solo home run and assisted three defensive putouts. The Fighting Irish improve to 30-7 on the season and 9-3 in Atlantic Coast Conference action.
Holloway threw all 5.0 innings, striking out six hitters and allowing four hits in the shutout.
At the plate, the Irish offense managed eight hits, led by a 2-for-3 effort from Jane Kronenberger. Leea Hanks, Miranda Johnson, Abby Sweet, Joley Mitchell, Holloway and Brooke Marquez all had a hit in the contest.
The Irish struck for four runs in the top of the first inning. A lead-off single, a walk and a hit batter loaded the bases for Sweet. She drove a single back up the middle and scored two and took second on the throw. Mitchell followed with an infield single and Sweet hustled all the way around from second to score on the hit as the Irish took a 4-0 lead after the top of the frame.
Notre Dame added four more runs with two outs in the second. A hit batter, a walk and a single drove in the first run of the inning and kept two on. Johnson hit her second homer of the season to drive in three and extend the lead to 8-0.
Holloway helped herself in the top of the third, hitting a solo homer, her first of the year.
After giving up a couple base runners to start the fourth, Holloway locked in, striking out the side in the sixth and another to end the game in the fifth.
Up Next
The Irish are back in action tomorrow at noon as they wrap up the three-game series with Syracuse.