BLACKSBURG, Va. — Notre Dame notched two Top-25 wins in the series-opening doubleheader with No. 15/13 Virginia Tech Friday, emerging with a 2-1 victory in the first game and following with a 6-5 win in the second.
With the win in Game 1, head coach Deanna Gumpf earned her 775th-career victory (now at 776), and with both wins on Friday, the Irish increased their total wins over the Top 25 to 96 since 1994.
With two wins Friday, Notre Dame forces Virginia Tech to not win their first ACC series all season, as the Hokies won all seven prior conference series they played in 2021.
Senior Alexis Holloway (11-6) earned the complete-game victory in Game 1, and junior Payton Tidd (12-5) won the second game, as senior Morgan Ryan earned the save in Game 2 (second of the season) after throwing three no-hit, no-run innings. Holloway pitched six-straight shutout innings in the opener, throwing five strikeouts, and allowed just one run in the seventh.
Graduate student Chelsea Purcell had a day in the infield, making several impressive plays at shortstop and totaling three putouts and six assists through both games. At the plate, she had three hits with two doubles and an RBI, as well as a run scored. She also stole a base in the second game.
Senior Abby Sweet, the ACC’s top batter, improved her season average to .478, going 4-8 at the plate with a double and an RBI. Freshman Cassidy Grimm had a career day at the plate in Game 2, notching her first extra-base hit in an Irish uniform (two RBI), in addition to a single, later scoring.
GAME 1
Junior Emma Clark reached base first for the Irish with a one-out single. On the following at-bat, Clark stole second, and reached third on an error by the Hokies as they tried to catch her stealing. Graduate student Katie Marino delivered a sac fly to score Clark, and the Irish entered the bottom of the inning up 1-0.
Marino took care of the first grounder, and after a Virginia Tech single, Holloway struck out the next two batters to strand the runner and end the inning.
Senior Sarah Genz delivered a one-out single, and after a strikeout, Purcell sent a double off the outfield wall to push Genz to third. However, both were stranded on base. In the bottom half of the inning, Holloway hurled two more strikeouts, again stranding a Hokie runner and keeping Virginia Tech off the board.
Both teams went scoreless in the third, as Holloway stranded two on base and struck one out. The Irish were retired in order in the fourth, and in the bottom of the inning, the Irish again stranded two on base, thanks in part to a caught stealing courtesy junior Shelby Grimm to Purcell.
In the fifth, Holloway led off with a single, and junior Quinn Biggio entered to force a one-out error, keeping both on base. Sweet sent a single to score Holloway from second, and the Irish extended the lead to 2-0. The Irish retired the Virginia Tech side in the bottom half to preserve the lead.
Both teams went scoreless in the sixth, and even as Purcell singled and Sweet doubled in the seventh, the Irish were unable to add any more runs. In the bottom of the inning, Virginia Tech led off with a single, also drawing a walk. A sac bunt advanced both runners, and a run scored on the subsequent groundout to cut the lead in half with two outs. Sweet took care of the final batter on a fly ball to secure the win.
GAME 2
Both teams were unable to score in the first inning, with one runner reaching base for each. In the second, freshman Karina Gaskins led off with a single, and Shelby Grimm entered to pinch run. Hanks followed with a single, pushing Shelby Grimm to second. After an out, Tidd delivered a groundout to advance both runners. Then, Purcell forced a Virginia Tech error, allowing Shelby Grimm to score, and Hanks to reach third.
Purcell then stole second, and Cassidy Grimm recorded her first-career extra-base hit, slamming a double to score Hanks and Purcell. Able to hold the Hokies off the board, the Irish ended the inning up 3-0.
In the third, Marino dished a one-out single, reaching second on a groundout. Hanks then singled to score Marino, and the Irish went up 4-0 headed to the bottom of the inning.Virginia Tech led off with two-straight singles, and a fielder’s choice kept runners on first and second. Another single scored the Hokies’ first run of the game, and a single loaded the bases.
Then, a fielder’s choice ball trapped Tidd in the circle, scoring one run and then another on a throwing error. The Hokies ended the inning battling back to a 4-4 tie.
With one out, Cassidy Grimm singled, reaching second on an immediate Sweet single. Clark delivered a fielder’s choice, which caught Sweet out and pushed Cassidy Grimm to third. Marino followed with a single to score Cassidy Grimm, and Gaskins immediately followed with a single to score Clark. The Irish entered the bottom of the fourth with a 6-4 lead.
After a Hokie triple, Virginia Tech added a run with an RBI single, and the game went to the fifth with a 6-5 score.
Ryan entered to pitch to start off the fifth inning. Both teams left a runner on base but were unable to score in the fifth, and both sides were retired in order in the sixth. The Irish noted a hit and forced an error in the seventh, but were unable to score. In the bottom of the inning, Marino and Genz put away the first two batters, and after a HBP, Ryan struck out the final batter to end the game with a 6-5 win.
UP NEXT
Both squads will return to Tech Softball Park for a 9 a.m. game on Saturday, April 24. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU.