SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame softball team secured game one of the series against Cal Saturday afternoon, taking down the Golden Bears 6-2 on a sunny day at Melissa Cook Stadium. Notre Dame improves to 14-18 overall and 4-6 in ACC play.
Ava Zachary had a monster day at the plate, going 3/4 with a double and a pair of RBI, including a game-tying RBI single in the bottom of the third. The freshman is up to 15 RBI on the season and is tied for a team-best six doubles on the season. In 10 conference games this season, Zachary leads the team with 14 hits, a .483 batting average and a .583 on base percentage. She has reached base in 16 consecutive games.
. @ava_zachary ties it up! ☘️
📺 ACCNX pic.twitter.com/ljBn3DSQtU
— Notre Dame Softball (@NDsoftball) March 28, 2026
The Irish got a big performance from Hayden Kyne, another stellar freshman. Kyne made the start behind the dish and threw out a pair of hits and RBI on the day. She leads the team with eight RBI in conference games this season. The Vacaville, California native also has 11 RBI on the season, one of eight Irish with double-digit runs batted in.
Mickey Winchell, in the leadoff spot, logged a couple of hits and scored two runs to lead Notre Dame’s offense. The top six in the Irish lineup was a combined 10/19 at the plate.
Notre Dame got a life in the circle from Kami Kamzik, who made her 9th start of the season. The junior went six innings, allowing just four hits and two runs, one of them earned. She struck out four Golden Bears. Brianne Weiss closed out the game in the seventh, tossing a 1-2-3 seventh inning to secure the second Irish home win of the season.
4⃣ punch outs for @kamkamzik 🔥
📺 ACCNX pic.twitter.com/RPIr2JH3SH
— Notre Dame Softball (@NDsoftball) March 28, 2026
Notre Dame goes for the series win tomorrow in double-header action at Melissa Cook Stadium. Game one is set for 10:00 a.m. nationally on ACC Network followed by the series finale at 1:00 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.