SOUTH BEND, Ind. – In a game that featured two weather delays, the University of Notre Dame softball team weathered the storm Tuesday night at Melissa Cook Stadium, taking down Western Michigan 11-3 in five innings. Notre Dame, who scored six runs in the first inning, is now 16-19 on the season.
Tuesday’s win marked the 12th-straight win for the Irish over the Broncos as well as the 22nd victory in the last 23 matchups. Notre Dame improves to 35-6 all-time against Western Michigan and 21-3 against the Broncos in South Bend.
The bats were rolling for the Irish all evening. Mickey Winchell continued her impressive weekend with a three-hit game, two of them coming in the first inning. The senior drove in the fifth and sixth runs of the first inning and raised her batting average to .336 this year.
Ava Zachary continued to do Ava Zachary things. After hitting a walk-off home run Sunday against Cal in extra innings, the freshman posted a 2/2 game at the plate with a walk, a double, an RBI and three runs scored. The Mishawaka product leads the team with a .410 batting average and 20 RBI this season.
Fellow freshman Hayden Kyne made the start behind the dish Tuesday for Notre Dame, but her bat was the story of the night. Kyne had a team-high three RBI on a pair of doubles, raising her RBI total to 19 in her rookie campaign. In her last five games, Kyne has registered 10 RBI with back-to-back games of three runs driven in.
Syndy Poeck lashed a two-run double to left-center field in the first inning to give the Irish a 3-2 lead at the time that they never surrendered after. Seven different Irish crossed home plate Tuesday night.
In the circle, Micalea Kastor picked up her fourth win of the season, going three innings in relief, allowing just one earned run while striking out three Broncos. Kami Kamzik made the start and pitched the first inning, while Brianne Weiss shut the door in the top of the fifth with two strikeouts to put away Notre Dame’s 16th win of the season.
The Irish, winners of three of their last four, head to Tallahassee, Florida for a three-game series against No. 6/10 Florida State beginning Thursday, April 2nd at 6:00 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.