CLEARWATER, Fla. – The University of Notre Dame softball team secured two wins at the NFCA Leadoff Classic on Saturday, improving to 2-2 on the season. The Irish shut down North Carolina Central 8-0 (5 innings) in the opener before taking down Longwood 7-3 in the evening matchup.
Micaela Kastor threw her first career no-hitter against NCCU to start the day off, throwing five hitless innings with five punchouts. It was the 41st solo no-hitter in program history and 61st overall in Irish softball history.
Caroline O’Brien recorded three hits during the first game against the Eagles, her second career three-hit game. The sophomore also scored a pair of runs and drove in one to pace the top of the Irish lineup.
In the nightcap, Rebecca Eckart launched her second home run of the season already, a two-run shot that at the time gave the Irish a five run lead. The sophomore catcher is leading the team with a .556 batting average and .733 on base percentage through the first four games.
Game 1 – NCCU
Micaela Kastor took the ball in game one of the day for the Irish. The senior tossed a 1-2-3 top of the first inning with a pair of strikeouts.
Notre Dame struck first in the bottom of the first. After a leadoff double from Caroline O’Brien, Olivia Levitt lined a single back up the middle, scoring O’Brien to give the Irish a 1-0 lead after the opening frame. Two more Irish runs in the bottom of the second made it 3-0.
The Eagles threatened in the top of the third following a pair of walks and stolen bases to put two runners in scoring position with two outs. But Kastor induced a ground ball to Levitt at second to end the threat.
Kastor continued to dominate in the circle, throwing five hitless innings to go along with five strikeouts, silencing Eagles’ bats all afternoon.
The Irish put a five-spot on the board in the bottom of the fifth to hit the run rule. Ashley Marietta recorded an RBI single in her first Irish at bat while Keira Murphy logged her first career RBI on a walk in the inning. A Levitt sac fly to score Marietta clinched the run-rule win for the Irish.
Game 2 – Longwood
After starter Brianne Weiss tossed a scoreless first, Keira Murphy got the Irish on the board in the top of the second, looping a single into right field to score Hayden Kyne. Avery Houlihan followed that up with a shot up the middle to score Murphy and make it 2-0 Irish.
Following a Longwood home run, Kyne trotted up to the plate and launched a ball off the right field fence, scoring a pair to make it 4-1 Irish after three innings.
Notre Dame piled on two more runs an inning later on a two-run home run from Rebecca Eckart, her second in as many days, to make it 6-1.
Kami Kamzik relieved Weiss to start the bottom of the fourth. Weiss finished with five strikeouts in four innings, moving her total to 14 already on the young season.
Kamzik tossed three innings, allowing only one earned run while also getting a punch out. Tenley Sweet scored the seventh run for the Irish as Notre Dame cruised to a 7-3 win.