TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — RV Notre Dame (17-11, 9-9 ACC) fell in both games to No. 10 Florida State (23-6, 11-2 ACC) Saturday, beginning with a six-inning 8-0 loss and followed by a five-inning 8-0 decision.
Junior Payton Tidd started the first game of the day for Notre Dame, shouldering the loss to make her season record 9-5 and throwing two strikeouts. Senior Morgan Ryan and freshman Molly Carney also saw time in the circle in the first game, with Carney’s time marking her first-career collegiate appearance and Ryan adding a strikeout.
Senior Alexis Holloway (7-5) took the loss in the second game, hurling two strikeouts.
Junior Emma Clark led the Irish at the plate with two hits on the day, as Holloway added one in the second game. Senior Abby Sweet, the ACC’s top batter, was issued her first walks of the entire season Saturday, seeing a base on balls twice in the first game.
On defense, graduate student Chelsea Purcell made her mark, responsible for several quick plays in the hot corner at third base, finishing the day with two putouts and four assists through the two games.
In both games, the Irish held Florida State scoreless through the first three innings, but the Seminoles were able to manufacture runs in the later innings.
GAME ONE
Sweet led off by earning a walk, her first walk of the season. However, she was stranded on base to end the top half. In the bottom, FSU pushed a runner to third with two outs, but Purcell took care of the popup to strand the runner.
Both teams stayed scoreless through the second and third innings, with FSU recording its first hit in the second and Notre Dame earning its first hit on a single from Clark in the fourth. Clark was caught stealing, and the Irish ended batting in the fourth with no runs scored.
Florida State led off with a walk, and the runner took third on the following single. The Irish then responded with a double play, as freshman Karina Gaskins grabbed a bunt lineout and dished to sophomore Brooke Marquez at third. However, with two outs, the Seminoles doubled to score the first run of the afternoon. The next batter struck out, but reached first on a wild pitch. With two runners on, a single brought both home to give FSU a 3-0 lead.
Ryan entered to pitch with the two outs, and freshman Carlli Kloss entered to catch, as FSU noted a single to push another run across for a 4-0 lead before a final grounder ended the inning.
Notre Dame was unable to get anything going in the fifth, and in the bottom of the inning, Florida State put two on base before scoring two on an RBI single. Carney entered with two outs in the fifth for her first-career collegiate appearance, and Gaskins made an impressive grab on a shallow line ball to end the inning down 7-0.
Sweet walked with two outs in the top of the sixth, but was left on base due to a grounder. After the first batter was retired with a flyout to Sweet in center field, FSU sent a solo home run to earn the 8-0 walkoff win.
GAME TWO
The sides for both teams were retired in the first inning, as were the three Irish batters in the second. While FSU earned a HBP, the runner was then caught stealing by junior catcher Shelby Grimm to only total three batters in the third. Both teams were sat down in order in the third, with a remarkable catch by Purcell in the hot corner at third ending the third inning.
With one out in the fourth, Clark fired the first hit of the game for either side, but was left on base to stay scoreless. With FSU at bat, the Seminoles singled before Holloway struck out a batter for the second out. Another single put two runners on, and FSU then homered to go up 3-0. Holloway responded with another strikeout to end the inning.
In the fifth, sophomore Macie Eck forced an error to reach first, but was then tagged out in a run down on a Holloway single, and a subsequent grounder left the Irish scoreless.
In the bottom half of the inning, Holloway issued a walk, and the runner then stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. A bunt single brought the runner home to up the score to 4-0. With a walk placing two runners on base, FSU singled to push another run across for a 5-0 lead. Then, with two on base, FSU homered to walk off with an 8-0, five-inning win.
UP NEXT
The final game of the series will take place at Noon ET on Sunday, with broadcast coverage on ACC Network Extra.