SOUTH BEND, Ind. – After giving up three unearned runs in the first inning, the University of Notre Dame softball team battled back and cruised to a 9-4 win over the visiting North Carolina State Wolfpack Saturday afternoon at Melissa Cook Stadium. With the win, the Fighting Irish improve to 19-10 overall, and 4-4 in ACC action.
Sophomore Micaela Kastor got the start in the circle, throwing an inning-plus. She allowed two hits, four runs, one earned and struck out one. Shannon Becker dominated in relief, throwing 6.0 innings, allowing just one hit and striking out two.
The Irish offense had 11 hits in the contest, the ninth time the offense has reached the double-digit hit plateau. Carlli Kloss and Cassidy Grimm led the charge, each finishing 3-for-4. Kloss drove in one and scored twice to go with a walk, Grimm drove in a pair and scored a run herself. Karina Gaskins added a 2-for-3 effort with a walk, driving in three and scoring twice. Emily Tran, Addison Amaral and Anna Holloway added hits in the contest, each scoring a run.
How It Happened
NC State took the lead in the first inning for the second-straight game. The Wolfpack led off with a walk, as the Irish couldn’t record an out on two ground balls, loading the bases. After a strikeout, a single from Ellie Goins drove in two and put runners on the corners. NC State executed a delayed steal, Kloss threw the runner out at second, but the runner from third took home and the Wolfpack took the 3-0 lead.
Notre Dame answered the bell in the bottom of the first, sending 11 hitters to the dish. Kloss and Tran led off with back-to-back singles and a walk from Gaskins loaded the bases. Amaral hit a ground ball up the middle that was fielded, but the throw to get Kloss was late for the first run. Grimm followed with a single to center to score two and tie the game. A sacrifice fly put the Irish up 4-3 with Grimm moving to third. A wild pitch brought in Grimm and Kloss drove in Holloway with a single to put the Irish up 6-3 after the first inning.
The Wolfpack got a run back in the top of the second, scoring on a bases loaded walk.
The Irish struck again in the bottom of the third. Kloss led off with a walk and went first to third when Tran’s ground ball was misplayed. Gaskins drove a low and outside pitch the other way for a three-run homer to extend the lead to 9-4. Its her fifth of the season, and 43rd of her career.
That score held for the duration as neither team scored over the final three and a half innings.
Up Next
The Irish look for the series sweep of the Wolfpack Sunday afternoon with first pitch scheduled for 12 p.m.