SAN DIEGO – The University of Notre Dame softball team swept its two opponents Saturday at the SDSU Season Kickoff. The Fighting Irish needed some late inning dramatics on the front end of the doubleheader, walking off the CSUN Matadors in eight innings, before cruising to an 8-2 win over the Northern Illinois Huskies in the nightcap. The Irish improve to 3-1 with the victories.
Payton Tidd started in the circle against CSUN. The graduate student worked 6.1 innings, allowing seven hits, four runs, three earned and struck out seven in a no decision. Shannon Becker earned the win in relief, tossing 1.1 scoreless innings.
At the plate, Rachel Allen and Carlli Kloss had multi-hit games, each finishing 2-for-4. Kloss added a two RBI double, while Allen’s RBI won the game in the bottom of the eighth. Karina Gaskins, Tidd, Macie Eck, Lexi Orozco and Mickey Winchell each added one hit. Tidd’s was a two-RBI double.
Micaela Kastor got her first collegiate start in the circle against Northern Illinois. The freshman threw 5.0 innings, allowing four hits, two earned runs and struck out five as she earned the win. Becker worked in relief, throwing the final 2.0 innings, allowing a pair of hits and picking up a strikeout.
The Irish offense racked up 11 hits in the contest, with Gaskins, Allen and Winchell each finishing with two. Kloss, Kroenenberger, Mitchell, Johnson and Eck each added a hit. Kloss and Gaskins hit their first home runs of the season in the victory.
How It Happened – CSUN
CSUN got on the board in the top of the second inning. A walk put a runner on, a weak line drive to shortstop appeared to be caught, but was ruled to have hit the ground to put runners on first and second a walk loaded the bases before a strikeout. With two outs, Tidd got the ground ball she needed, but it was misplayed, allowing a run to score. A ground ball on the next hitter ended the threat with the Matadors taking a 1-0 lead.
The Irish rallied in the bottom of the fifth. Allen led off with a single up the middle, and a single from Winchell, accompanied by a throwing error put runners on second and third with one out. Kloss doubled down the left field line to score two as the Irish took the lead. A walk to Kronenberger put two on as Tidd looped a double down the right field line to score two more and extend the lead to 4-1.
The Matadors used a three-run homer in the top of the seventh to send the game into extra innings. With the international tiebreaker rule, CSUN started with a runner on second, a ground ball to Mitchell at third led her to second base to keep the runner there. A wild pitch moved the runner to third with one out. The next hitter chopped a ground ball to Mitchell at third, who fielded it and tagged out the runner between third and home. A fly out ended the CSUN threat.
Allen and the Irish wasted no time in their half of the extra frame. On a 1-1 count, Allen led off the inning with a single through the right side, scoring Mitchell who started at second to win the game 5-4.
How It Happened – NIU
After a scoreless first inning, the Irish put up a crooked number in the second, scoring five times. A couple walks put two on, and a ground out to the right side moved the runners into scoring position. Winchell singled to drive in a pair and took second on the throw home. Kloss and Gaskins hit back-to-back home runs to extend the lead to 5-0.
The Huskies scratched a couple home in the bottom of the fourth to cut into the Notre Dame lead to 5-2.
The Irish answered with three more in the top of the fifth. Kronenberger led off with a double to right center and scored on an Allen single. A fielder’s choice and a walk put two on for Johnson who singled to bring in the second run of the inning. Eck lifted a fly ball to right field to bring in a run with the sacrifice fly, but the runner attempting to take third on the play was thrown out to end the rally. Notre Dame led 8-2 after five innings.
Up Next
The Irish close out the SDSU Season Kickoff Sunday at noon as they take on the Memphis Tigers.