MOBILE, Ala. – Notre Dame softball split Friday’s opening day of the Mardi Gras Classic, defeating Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 8-3 in the morning before dropping a back-and-forth contest with tournament host South Alabama 4-5. The Irish are now 6-6 on the season.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Recap
Kami Kamzik got the ball in the first game of the day. The sophomore right-hander struck out three Islanders swinging in the top of the first.
Notre Dame would put the first run of the game on the board in the bottom half of the first inning. After an infield single and stolen base by Mickey Winchell, Addison Amaral ripped a ball into the left field corner that short hopped the fence. Winchell crossed home and Amaral coasted into second as the Irish took a 1-0 lead.
After a walk and single to start the top of the second, Texas A&M-CC laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance both runners into scoring position with one out. Kamzik would strike out the next two hitters on pitches in the dirt, but Islanders batter CJ Castilla was able to beat the throw to first and reach on a wild pitch to load the bases with two outs. Kamzik wouldn’t falter, getting a weak ground ball to second to escape the jam.
The Irish would tack on another in the bottom half. After Jane Kronenberger reached on a double, Anna Holloway lined a single into left for her first RBI of the season, extending the Notre Dame lead to two.
Texas A&M-CC put traffic on in the top of the third, getting back-to-back base runners to force a pitching change. Shannon Becker came in, making her sixth appearance of the season. After an Irish error, the Islanders were able to put their first run on the board and cut into the lead. A sac fly by the following batter tied the game at two-all.
In the bottom half of the third, Notre Dame answered. With the bases loaded and two outs, Kronenberger drilled her second double of the game into left center to drive home a pair, putting the Irish back on top 4-2.
Becker would hold the Islanders scoreless for 3.2 straight innings until the 6th, when a line drive was just out of the outstretched glove of the leaping Amaral at short to score Texas A&M-CC’s third run of the game. A weak comebacker back to Becker would limit the damage in the inning.
Notre Dame loaded the bases to start the bottom of the sixth after walks by Avery Houlihan and Olivia Levitt sandwiched a base hit by pinch hitter Paige Cowley. Christina Willemssen would just miss a grand slam, hitting a sac fly to the warning track in right to drive home the fifth Irish run. Winchell would follow her up with an infield single that scored Micaela Kastor, who was pinch running, to push the lead to 6-3.
Rachel Allen would blow it open for Notre Dame, lining a single into left to score a pair and push the lead to 8-3 heading into the seventh.
Brianne Weiss trotted out in the bottom of the seventh for the final three outs, and made quick work of it. The freshman got a foul out and consecutive swinging strikeouts to give Notre Dame its sixth win of the season.
South Alabama Recap
After both teams went quiet in the first, Notre Dame put traffic on after singles from Sydny Poeck and Avery Houlihan put two on with one out for the Irish. After a pop out, Olivia Levitt came up huge in the last spot of the lineup, lining a ball into left for her first career RBI to put the Irish up 1-0. Levitt would finish the game with two singles and a walk.
Starting pitcher Micaela Kastor continued her strong play in the circle as of late. The junior was through four no-hit innings, striking out four in the process.
In the bottom of the fifth, South Alabama got two free passes to put runners on first and second with one out. After a sac bunt to advance the runners, the Jaguars’ Amity White stepped up to the plate with two outs. The South Alabama leadoff hitter lined a two-run double over the head of Winchell in center for the Jaguars’ first hit and lead of the game.
Notre Dame would counter immediately next half inning. After a leadoff walk by and advancement on a pass ball, the Irish had a runner in scoring position with no outs. Amaral grounded a ball to short, but a poor throw got past the first baseman, allowing Tran to trot home with the tying run. One batter later, Cowley hit a rocket back up the middle to score Amaral and Notre Dame was back in front 3-2.
That lead wouldn’t last long. South Alabama second baseman Stephanie Gonzalez would launch a home run over the party porch in left field to lead off the bottom half of the sixth, ending Kastor’s night in the circle. Kastor finished the night with five innings pitched, three hits, three earned runs and four punchouts.
Weiss would take over for Notre Dame, making her second appearance of the day. The freshman unfortunately hit three Jaguar batters in the inning. Alexis Laudenslager would relieve her, coming into a bases loaded jam with only one out.
White lined a single into left for South Alabama, her second go-ahead hit of the game, as the Jaguars went back on top 4-3. A bases-loaded walk made it 5-3 going into the seventh.
South Alabama starter Ryley Harrison went back and out in the seventh and got a ground ball for the first out of the inning.
Down to their final strike, Emily Tran kept the Irish hopes alive with a double to left that scored Winchell to cut the lead to one. But a sharp ground out from Amaral ended the night for Notre Dame, as South Alabama took the win 5-4.
The Irish are back in action tomorrow against Maine at 2 p.m. CT/3 p.m. ET followed by a rematch with South Alabama at 4:30 p.m. CT/5:30 p.m. ET. The game against the Jaguars will once again be on ESPN+.