CONWAY, S.C. – The Notre Dame softball team didn’t allow a single run during Saturday’s matchups at the Battle of the Beach, winning 9-0 over Towson in five innings before beating Kent State 5-0 in the afternoon.
Kami Kamzik pitched a gem in the first game of the day, striking out a career-best eight batters over four innings. She only allowed two hits and three total baserunners on the day. The Irish scored a season-high nine runs and Kaia Cortes broke open the game with a bases clearing double in the second.
The Notre Dame bats came alive throughout the day. Addison Amaral and Paige Cowley both homered against Kent State, while Emily Tran logged three hits against the Golden Flashes. Micaela Kastor and Shannon Becker kept Kent State off the scoreboard and didn’t walk a single batter during the afternoon.
Notre Dame improves to 5-5 through the first 10 games of the year.
Towson Recap
Playing as the home team, Kamzik tossed a 1-2-3 opening inning, including a swinging strikeout to end the top half, in her second start of the season.
It wouldn’t take long for Notre Dame to strike after that. The Irish put up a five spot in the bottom of the second. Avery Houlihan, in her first career at-bat, came up with the bases loaded and lined a pitch into left field for her first career hit and RBI as the Irish struck first 1-0. After a hit by pitch that brought home another run, Cortes roped a ball into the right center field gap to score Houlihan, Tran and Caroline O’Brien to put Notre Dame up 5-0 after two.
The Irish kept piling on in the third. With two on, Sydny Poeck drove home Jane Kronenberger with a base hit to left. Two batters later, Tran drilled one back up the middle and two more scored. Notre Dame led 9-0 after three.
Kamzik continued to deal in the circle. The sophomore struck out three batters in the top of the fourth and had eight punchouts through four innings.
Brianne Weiss would come in and seal the deal in the fifth. The southpaw got her first three career strikeouts, finishing the game with a swinging strikeout to give Notre Dame the 9-0 victory.
Kent State Recap
Micaela Kastor took the ball in game two, making her fifth start of the season. The junior got three punchouts in the top of the first to start her day.
In the bottom half, Addison Amaral launched her first homer of the season, a two-run opposite field shot that hit off the Coastal Carolina scoreboard. Tran, who was on third, greeted her at home as the Irish took a 2-0 lead early.
Kastor would continue to deal, setting down seven Golden Flashes in a row. She finished with 7 strikeouts, spreading 3 hits over 5 innings.
The Irish would scratch two more runs across the plate in the following innings, one on a fielder’s choice from Amaral, her 12th RBI of the season, and another when Houlihan scored on a throwing error to make it 4-0.
Shannon Becker would take over to start the top half of the sixth. The senior struck out two in the inning and set down Kent State 1-2-3.
Paige Cowley went yard to start the bottom of the sixth after pinch hitting, her first career home run coming in opposite-field fashion to right to add an insurance run to the lead, 5-0.
Becker came in and shut the door after that, striking out the final batter looking for the Irish victory.
Sunday’s game against Towson was canceled due to weather in the Myrtle Beach area. The Irish return next week at the Mardi Gras classic in Mobile, Alabama.