March 14, 2015
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – No. 9/10 Florida State utilized key offense plays and held the edge in the circle to sweep an Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) doubleheader against the University of Notre Dame softball team on Saturday. The Seminoles blasted a walk-off three-run home run to take game one by a 4-1 final, outlasting the Irish 7-3 in the nightcap of the twin bill at JoAnne Graf Field.
No. RV Notre Dame (14-11, 0-5 ACC) was gritty throughout, never trailing Florida State (22-5, 5-0 ACC) in game one until the final pitch was thrown. The Irish and Seminoles finished the first game with five hits each, with Florida State ultimately claiming the day’s advantage by a 15-11 margin.
Sophomore All-American Karley Wester continued her stellar week at the plate, batting an even .500 (3-for-6) and drawing two walks to raise her on-base percentage to .625. Wester is hitting at a cumulative .563 clip (9-for-16) with three runs scored in her first five conference starts. Senior Cassidy Whidden added a double and a home run to power the Irish offense.
Sophomore pitcher Rachel Nasland (6-6) yielded five hits to the potent Florida State lineup in a complete game effort during game one, walking two and striking out three Seminole batters. Freshman Katie Beriont threw a scored 1.2 innings of relief during the second contest, adding one strikeout.
The final game of the series between Notre Dame and Florida State is scheduled for a noon (ET) first pitch at JoAnne Graf Field. Live stats will be available through CBS Gametracker.
For the latest news and updates on all things Notre Dame softball, visit www.und.com/softball, follow the Irish@NDsoftball and@NDcoachGumpf on Twitter and at Instagram.com/notredamesoftball, and Like the team at Facebook.com/NDSoftball.
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Game 1 – No. 9/10 Florida State 4, No. RV Notre Dame 1
Senior Katey Haus manufactured a two-out single up the middle off Florida State starter Lacey Waldrop (14-3). A passed ball by Seminole catcher Macey Cheatham moved Haus into scoring position at second base. Waldrop closed the inning by forcing junior All-American Micaela Arizmendi to ground out to second base, stranding Haus on the pond.
Florida State’s Jessica Warren opened with a looping single to left, and Maddie O’Brien worked a five-pitch walk against sophomore Rachel Nasland to put two Seminoles on with one out in the bottom of the first. A swinging strikeout of Alex Powers and a Bailey Schinella fly out to junior Megan Sorlie in right field ended the Florida State ups.
Senior co-captain and two-time All-American Emilee Koerner heated up the Notre Dame order in the top of the second frame. Koerner laced a leadoff double off Waldrop to left field to open the inning, moving over to third base on a wild pitch after classmate Cassidy Whidden walked. Whidden stole second base cleanly with freshman Sara White at the plate and a throwing error by Cheatham skirted into the outfield, bringing Koerner home and giving Notre Dame a 1-0 lead.
Nasland retired the Florida State side in order during the bottom of the second inning. Victoria East flew out to Koerner in center field, Alex Kossoff grounded out to senior co-captain Jenna Simon at second base and Morgan Klaevemann watched a full-count offering go by for strike three.
Sophomore All-American Karley Wester opened the top of the third with a single through the left side against Waldrop, but was later called out for leaving early after cleanly stealing second base. Haus managed her second single of the game into left field, but Waldrop forced a hard-hit ground out from Arizmendi to short to eliminate the Notre Dame threat.
The Seminoles manufactured their first run of the game with two outs in the bottom of the third inning. Powers laced a single to right field, and Warren just managed to slide under the tag of Whidden at the plate. The RBI base knock tied the contest at 1-1.
Nasland came back in the home half of the fourth to sit Florida State down in order. East grounded out to Haus at third base, Kossoff was thrown out by Haus on a bunt attempt and Klaevemann lined a hot shot to third that Haus snagged out of the air. The strong effort by Haus on the corner turned the Seminoles aside in the frame.
It was more of the same for Florida State over the next two innings, as Nasland ran her retired batter streak to 13 after the bottom of the sixth frame. Kossoff snapped the string at 14 straight Seminole hitters sat down with a single up the middle with one out in the bottom of the seventh. Warren ended the game with two outs in the inning, hooking a walk-off home run barely fair over the left field foul pole to win the game 4-1.
Game 2 – No. 9/10 Florida State 7, No. RV Notre Dame 3
Sophomore All-American Karley Wester opened the top of the first inning with a sharp single into right center field against Florida State starter Jessica Burroughs (8-2). Burroughs settled in from there, retiring the next three Notre Dame batters in succession to hold Wester at first base.
The Seminoles took the lead in the bottom of the first after Jessica Warren doubled to right center and advanced on a Notre Dame fielding error, and Maddie O’Brien worked a four-pitch walk. An Irish wild pitch to the backstop allowed Warren to come home from third base, giving Florida State the 1-0 advantage. A second fielding error loaded the bases for the Seminoles with one away, but junior Allie Rhodes (6-4) responded with a strikeout of Victoria East and forced Morgan Klaevemann to ground out back to the circle to leave three Florida State runners on base.
Senior Cassidy Whidden roped a one-out double off the wall in straightaway center field in the top of the second inning, cruising into second for her sixth two-bagger of the year. Burroughs held Whidden at bay in the stanza, retiring the final two Notre Dame batters to strand the runner on.
A walk was the only damage against Rhodes in the bottom of the second, as the Irish southpaw kept the Florida State offense from finding its rhythm. A bunt attempt back to the circle by Alex Kossoff and a nice wheel and throw by Rhodes gunned down the Seminole runner gliding toward first for the third out.
Florida State added a pair of runs in the bottom of the third inning on a Notre Dame fielding error (3-0), but senior co-captain Jenna Simon made a great play on a Warren line drive with two outs. Simon ranged to her left and made a diving snag in the 3-4 hole, stranding the bases loaded for the Seminoles in their half.
Whidden was hit by a pitch to open the top of the fifth, and an infield single by freshman Morgan Reed moved the Notre Dame catcher into scoring position at second. Wester worked a 3-1 walk to load the bases with two away, but Whidden was then retired trying to slip home with Simon at the plate to end the inning.
Florida State added to the lead in the home half of the fifth, as Amy Szymanowski lined an RBI double off the right field wall to plate East (4-0). An RBI bunt single off the bat of Ellie Cooper brought two more runs across, extending the Seminoles lead to 6-0. A bases loaded walk brought in the fourth Florida State run of the inning (7-0).
Whidden fought off the shutout in the top of the sixth, blasting a deep three-run home run off Burroughs that soared through the night sky and well clear of the left field wall. Whidden’s fourth homer of the season trimmed the Notre Dame deficit to 7-3.
Freshman Katie Beriont held Florida State at bay with a scoreless inning in the bottom of the sixth frame. Klaevemann struck out swinging, Szymanowski lined out to first base and Warren grounded out to second base to hang a zero in the Seminole column.