SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The University of Notre Dame earned a 5-2 win in the first game of a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) series with Syracuse Friday evening at Skytop Softball Stadium. After battling back and forth in the first four innings, the Irish scored three runs late to pull away. Notre Dame improves to 29-7 overall and 8-3 in ACC play.
Payton Tidd started in the circle, throwing 6.0 innings, allowing just four hits, two runs, one earned and struck out five to earn her 12th win of the year. Shannon Becker came on in the seventh, allowing a one-out double but struck out two to earn her third save of the season.
The Irish offense was led by a trio of two-hit games. Leea Hanks finished 2-for-4 with a triple, an RBI and scored. Karina Gaskins went 2-for-2, reaching base in all four at bats. She drove in two and hit her 10th homer of the season. Tidd added a 2-for-3 performance at the plate with a solo home run. Emma Clark, Miranda Johnson and Cassidy Grimm each had a hit in the contest.
The Irish struck first with a run in the top of the first inning. Hanks led off with a single the other way and stole second. A ground ball moved her up and Gaskins brought her in with a single back through the box.
Syracuse answered with a run of their own in the bottom of the frame. A one-out double came in to score when Tessa Galipeau lined a single off of the glove of a leaping second baseman in shallow right.
Notre Dame regained the lead in the third when Gaskins homered over the cameras in centerfield to go up 2-1.
The Orange battled for a run in the bottom of the third. An error came around to score after a stole base and a wild pitch. A ball in the infield brought her in and tied it 2-2.
After Gaskins drew a walk in the fifth, she was lifted for Emily Tran to pinch run. With Tran on third and Kronenberger on first, the Irish executed the delayed steal. Kronenberger stayed in the run down long enough as Tran scored from third to take the 3-2 lead.
Marquez made a big play in the bottom of the fifth to prevent Syracuse from tying it up. With a runner at third, she charged a slow roller and threw it Shelby Grimm who applied the sweep tag to put up a zero in the inning.
Tidd helped herself in the sixth, leading off the inning with a solo home run. After a walk to pinch-hitter Joley Mitchell, Hanks tripled down the first baseline to bring in another run and extend the Irish lead to 5-2.
Up Next
The Irish and Orange will be back in action Saturday with a 1 p.m. first pitch.