SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame softball team split a doubleheader with the Pittsburgh Panthers Sunday afternoon at Melissa Cook Stadium. The Fighting Irish dropped a slugfest 13-11 in game one but rebounded for a 10-2 five inning win in the nightcap. The Irish are now 20-10-1 on the season, and 5-6-1 in ACC play.
Payton Tidd started in the circle in game one. She threw the first inning before giving way to Micaela Kastor. Kastor worked 1.2 innings, allowing four hits, eight runs, three earned and struck out two before Tidd re-entered. In total, Tidd threw 5.1 innings, allowing five hits, four earned runs and struck out two.
At the plate, the Irish went for 12 hits, led by three-hit efforts from Carlli Kloss and Joley Mitchell. Mitchell added two RBI, scored twice and hit a home run. Kloss added a double and drove in a run. Karina Gaskins, Lexi Orozco and Leea Hanks each drove in two runs. Mickey Winchell added a 2-for-4 effort with two runs scored and an RBI and hit her first extra-base hits of the season.
Shannon Becker started the nightcap in the circle. The sophomore threw a complete game, tossing 5.0 innings, scattering four hits, two runs, one earned as she struck out five.
Gaskins landed herself in the record books with her performance in the nightcap, going 3-for-3 with three home runs and driving in seven. The three home runs in the same game ties her own program record, and the seven RBI in a game is good for second all-time in program history. Orozco also finished 3-for-3, hitting two home runs and a double. Kloss added a 2-for-3 performance with a double and scored twice.
How It Happened – Game One
The Panthers struck for two runs in the top of the first inning. A lead-off triple and followed with a single through the left side drove in the first run. A double to the wall in left brought in the second run to extend Pitt’s early lead to 2-0.
Notre Dame stormed back in the bottom of the first frame. Kloss started the inning with a double to left center and came win when Mitchell homered over the left field bleachers. Gaskins drew her ACC-leading 26th walk of the season and Orozco greeted a new Pitt pitcher by homering over the scoreboard in left center field to put the Irish up 4-2.
Pitt put together a rally in the third inning, scoring nine runs on six hits to go with a pair of Irish errors. The Panthers added a run with a solo home run in the fourth to extend the lead to 12-4.
The Irish rallied in the bottom of the fourth to score three. Johnson got it going with a single and scored when Winchell drove a single to center field. Kloss knocked a single up the middle for the second run and Gaskins singled to bring in Kloss and cut the lead to 12-7.
Three more runs came home for the Irish in the sixth. A single from Mitchell, a hit batter and a walk loaded the bases. Hanks hit it on the ground where it was misplayed, allowing two to score. Another hit batter loaded the bases again as a fielder’s choice on a ground ball brought in another Irish run to cut the lead to 13-10.
Pittsburgh went down in order in the top of the seventh, as the Irish continued their comeback attempt. Winchell led the inning off with a double and a single from Kloss put runners on the corners. A fielder’s choice brought in the run and the tying run was retired with a foul out that was caught by the second baseman.
How It Happened – Game Two
Notre Dame struck for a pair in the first, getting a lead-off double from Kloss before Gaskins left the yard with her eighth homer of the year.
Pittsburgh knotted the game with two of their own in the top of the second. Back-to-back singles started the inning, and a misplay allowed the runners to move into scoring position. A single to left brought in both to tie it at two each.
The Irish answered with five runs in the bottom of the second. With one out, Winchell chopped a ground ball at the shortstop who misplayed it. A single put two runners on and a double steal moved them into scoring position. Winchell scored on a wild pitch as Mitchell drew a walk. Gaskins brought everyone in with her second home run in as many innings, and Orozco followed with a solo shot of her own to put the Irish up 7-2.
Three more runs, courtesy of the long ball came in for Notre Dame in the fourth. A lead-off single from Mitchell set the stage as Gaskins launched her third home run of the game to center field. Orozco went back-to-back again, with a solo shot to left.
Up Next
The Irish will return to Melissa Cook Stadium Tuesday night for an 8 p.m. midweek matchup with the Ball State Cardinals on ACC Network.