PITTSBURGH, Pa. – After surviving a late rally in game one of Friday’s doubleheader to win 7-5, the University of Notre Dame softball team dominated the nightcap 11-0 in five innings to sweep the day over the Pittsburgh Panthers. The Irish improve to 21-6 on the season and move to 3-2 in Atlantic Coast Conference action. Pitt falls to 11-11 and 1-4 in league play.
Alexis Holloway got the start in the circle in the first game of the day. The graduate student threw 5.1 innings, allowing four runs, three earned and struck out six earning her eighth win of the season. Payton Tidd picked up her second save of the year, throwing 1.2 innings in relief, allowing a run and striking out four.
The Irish offense had 11 hits in game one, led by a 2-for-4 effort from Karina Gaskins. Gaskins finished with a home run, three RBI and scored twice in the win. Emma Clark also finished 2-for-4, scoring once. Leea Hanks, Joley Mitchell, Jane Kronenberger, Cassidy Grimm, Brooke Marquez and Holloway all finished with a hit. Kronenberger drove in two with a single in the third inning.
Notre Dame dominated the nightcap, led by a complete game in the circle from Shannon Becker. Becker worked all 5.0 innings, allowing just two hits and striking out one without allowing a run.
The Irish offense continued to put together quality at bats, finishing with 13 hits. The middle of the lineup did the damage as Clark, Abby Sweet and Gaskins combined to go 7-for-10 with four RBI, five runs scored and two doubles. Carlli Kloss added a 2-for-3 game with a double, an RBI, scored once and stole a base. Kronenberger, Mitchell, Cassidy Grimm and Anna Holloway all added a hit in the victory.
After a pair of scoreless innings in game one, Notre Dame got on the board first with four runs in the top of the third. Holloway started the inning with a single to center, followed by a bunt single and a fielder’s choice that loaded the bases. Gaskins singled to score one and keep the bases full of the Irish. Genz drove in a run with a ground out before Kronenberger drove a single to center field to score two more and extend the Irish lead to 4-0.
The Irish tacked on a run in the fifth inning as Sweet singled and moved up on a pinch-hit double from Mitchell. The Pitt pitcher threw one in the dirt that popped far enough away from the catcher that Sweet broke for home and slide in in front of the catcher’s diving tag attempt.
Pitt rallied for three in the bottom of the frame. An error started the inning, followed by a single to left center. The Pitt catcher connected for a three-run home run to cut into the Irish lead at 5-3. A solo home run in the bottom of the sixth inning cut the Irish lead down to 5-4.
Gaskins added some cushion in the top of the seventh. A singled and a fielder’s choice put a runner on for Gaskins, who delivered in the clutch. She hit her sixth home run of the season to extend the lead to 7-4.
The Panthers battled in the bottom of the seventh, loading the bases with two singles and a walk with two outs. A bases loaded walk cut the lead down to 7-5, setting the stage for Callie Compson. Compson, who homered in her last at bat, chased a 2-2 pitch high for the final out of the game, giving the Irish their 20th win of the season.
Notre Dame struck first in the second game of the day, scoring three in the top of the second inning. The bottom of the lineup did the damage as Mitchell started the rally with a walk and scored on a double from Kloss. Anna Holloway connected on her second home run of the season to go up 3-0.
The Irish weren’t done there, tacking on six runs on seven hits in the top of the fourth. Sweet, Gaskins, Kronenberger, Mitchell and Grimm all had RBI hits in the frame as Notre Dame took a 9-0 lead.
After a two-out double from Clark, Sweet followed with another RBI single and Gaskins drove a double to right center to extend the lead to 11-0 in the fifth.
Pitt had just four base runners in game two. The second inning saw the Panthers get runners on second and third before Becker got a couple infield pop ups to end the threat. After the second, she gave up just one hit, but it was erased as Hanks threw out the runner trying to take second on the hit off the wall.
Up Next
The Irish will close out the series with Pittsburgh tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. on ACC Network.