The University of Notre Dame softball team (15-8, 0-1) dropped its first Atlantic Coast Conference game of the year at No. 3 Florida State (26-2, 1-0), 11-1 in five innings, on Friday afternoon in Tallahassee, Florida.
The first of three games against the defending National Champions, the Seminoles utilized an eight-run second-inning after the Irish opened the scoring in the top of the first.
The Irish were led by junior infielder Katie Marino with two hits and a run scored.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Notre Dame took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Marino drove a 2-2 pitch down the left field line, moved to third on a single from senior Cait Brooks and scored on a ground out by senior Melissa Rochford.Florida State answered with a lead off solo home run, but Irish starting pitcher Alexis Holloway got two ground balls and a line out, sandwiched around a single, to get out of the inning.
The Seminoles seized control in the bottom of the second after a lead-off single, then a dropped out at second base on a ground ball and a walk loaded the bases. Two more walks issued added two runs to the FSU total before a Carsyn Gordon grand slam cleared the bases.
Florida State added two more runs in the third inning with two hits, two talks and two stolen bases.
NEXT UP
The Irish will continue the Atlantic Coast Conference series on Saturday, March 16, with game two at Florida State (1 p.m. ET). All three games over the weekend will air on ACC Network Extra. Fans can stay tuned to @NDSoftball on Twitter for the latest schedule updates, should changes occur.