Feb. 11, 2018
TEMPE, Ariz. – A four-run rally for Fresno State, punctuated by solo home runs in the last three innings, lifted the Bulldogs to a 5-4 win over the University of Notre Dame softball team on Sunday to close the Kajikawa Classic at the Tempe Sports Complex.
No. RV Notre Dame (3-2) raced out to a 4-0 lead in the second inning before Fresno State countered with timely hitting and stellar relief pitching. The Irish managed only four hits over the final five innings after picking up five in the first 1.2 innings alone.
Morgan Reed and Katie Marino each finished the day 2-for-3 at the plate with two RBI, while Cait Brooks and Abby Sweet also added two base hits. Marino was Notre Dame’s leading hitter for the tournament, batting .462 with three home runs, eight RBI and five runs scored. Reed added a .438 clip with two home runs and five RBI over five games.
How It Happened
Alexis Holloway battled around a pair of base runners in the bottom of the first inning to stone the Fresno State (3-2) side. Three strikeouts, two of them swinging, left both Bulldogs on the base paths.
Notre Dame broke out on offense by showing its power in the top of the second frame. Katie Marino barreled a pitch well over the fence in left field for her third home run of the year, putting the Irish ahead 2-0. Later in the inning and with two away following a Chelsea Purcell single, Morgan Reed ripped a laser beam home run scalding over the wall in right center. Reed’s second of the year made it 4-0 Notre Dame.
Katie Beriont (2-1) came on in relief in the bottom of the third after Fresno State pulled within two runs and settled the surge. Diving catches by Abby Sweet in center in the third inning and Chelsea Purcell in left in the fourth kept the Irish defense rolling.
Fresno State would claim the win by homering in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings, all of the solo variety, to completely erase the previous four-run deficit. The Bulldogs smacked the winning hit with one out in the bottom of the seventh.
Up Next
The Irish travel to Tallahassee, Florida, for the Big Ten/ACC Challenge at Florida State’s Joanne Graf Field from Feb. 16-18. Notre Dame will face Minnesota and Michigan twice during the event.
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. –ND–