GREENVILLE, N.C. – The University of Notre Dame softball team split Saturday’s matchups at the Purple-Gold Classic, shutting out Buffalo 6-0 in the morning before coming up just short against East Carolina, dropping 3-4. The Irish are now 6-4 on the season.
Kami Kamzik tossed her second complete game of the season against Buffalo, not walking a single Bull. As a team, Notre Dame hit .357, highlighted by multi-hit games from Rebecca Eckart and Sydny Poeck.
East Carolina got revenge for last night’s extra inning win by the Irish. The Pirates took advantage of three Irish errors in the game to give Notre Dame its first loss of the weekend.
The Irish close out the Purple-Gold Classic tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. against Buffalo. First pitch has been moved up an hour to accommodate potential weather in the Greenville area.
Buffalo
Kamzik got the start for Notre Dame and was brilliant. The junior went the distance, throwing seven innings of shutout softball. She held the Bulls to just six hits and didn’t allow a walk. Kamzik added four strikeouts as well and has now thrown two complete games in just four starts this season.
Notre Dame got off to a quick start in the top of the first. After Caroline O’Brien and Mickey Winchell both reached and each stole a base, Olivia Levitt and Eckart lifted balls into the outfield, both notching sac flies as the Irish manufactured two runs in the opening frame. An RBI groundout in the fourth tacked on another run.
In the top of the fifth, Rebecca Eckart led off the inning with her third home run of the season, a shot to deep left field. Two batters later, Kaia Cortes ripped a ball into the right center field gap to score Sydny Poeck and make it 5-0 Notre Dame. Lily Hagan, in a pinch-hit opportunity in the top of the seventh, lined an RBI single into right field for her first career hit and run batted in.
Kamzik came on in the bottom of the seventh and shut the door, getting two groundouts before a strikeout looking to give Notre Dame its sixth win of the season and third in a row.
East Carolina
East Carolina got on the bird first off a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the second to take an early lead. That lead wouldn’t last long, as O’Brien would score on a pass ball in the next half inning to tie up the game. It was 1-1 after three innings.
After the Pirates took the lead in the bottom of the fourth, Notre Dame put up a pair of runs on RBI singles from O’Brien and Mickey Winchell, capitalizing on East Carolina errors in the process. The duo at the top of the lineup combined for five of the seven Irish hits on the afternoon.
Starting pitcher Brianne Weiss gave way to Micaela Kastor to start the fifth. Weiss struck out six in four innings and allowed two earned runs.
The home team got the final blow however, scoring a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the fifth that ended up being the difference in the 4-3 Pirates victory.