The season's second weekend took Notre Dame softball to Jacksonville where the team won all three of their games at the Jacksonville/University of North Florida Invitational. After topping Samford twice and Jacksonville once, Notre Dame headed home early, canceling its Sunday morning matchup with North Florida. With the 3-0 showing, the Irish extended their win streak to five and improved to 6-2 on the year.
Friday: Notre Dame 11, Samford 1 (5 innings)
After ending their first weekend of play with a shutout of Liberty, the Irish remained in control against Samford, scoring in every inning. The day opened with Notre Dame's first home run of the season, coming from a likely suspect. Senior first baseman Karina Gaskins launched her 39th career round-tripper, a solo shot that set the tone.
The Irish would add two more runs in the first, doubling their lead on sophomore outfielder Mickey Winchell's opposite-field single. Three runs followed in the second, with Notre Dame converting three walks into a 6-0 lead.
In the Irish circle, Micaela Kastor allowed her only run in the bottom of the second, but thrived otherwise. The sophomore right-hander would finish the afternoon with just four baserunners and one run allowed across four innings.
Over the game's remaining three frames, Kastor's run support would only grow. Run-scoring singles from senior catcher Carlli Kloss and senior infielder Cassidy Grimm expanded the Irish lead to 9-1 by the end of the fourth.
In the fifth, freshman infielder Addison Amaral moved the game into run-rule territory with the first long ball of her career. The two-run blast moved Notre Dame ahead 11-1 before freshman right-hander Kami Kamzik finalized the contest with a two-strikeout inning in the circle.
Friday: Notre Dame 6, Jacksonville 4
To start the second game of the day, Notre Dame's offense kept rolling. The Irish posted a pair of runs in the first, with junior infielder Jane Kronenberger doubling home the contest's first run.
Dolphin pitching would retire 10 straight Irish hitters through the fourth inning, but Notre Dame remained ahead 2-0 with even better dealing. Graduate right-hander Alexis Laudenslager allowed just one hit in her first trip through the order, stretching her shutout streak to eight innings.
However, Jacksonville snapped it with authority in the fifth. Notre Dame had scored twice in the top of the frame, moving ahead 4-0 on Amaral's two-out single. The Dolphins then went on the attack, tying the game at four with a two-out, three-run home run from leadoff hitter Madison Bratek.
But the Irish broke back ahead quickly with two runs in the sixth. Kloss doubled home Grimm for the lead before Kronenberger collected her third RBI of the game with a sacrifice fly. All told, the top four hitters in the Irish lineup went 7 for 11 with five runs batted in against Jacksonville.
At that point, Notre Dame needed stability in the circle, and right-hander Shannon Becker provided that and then some. The junior made her fourth consecutive scoreless appearance, retiring all six Dolphins she faced with three strikeouts to end the game.
Saturday: Samford 2, Notre Dame 7
Playing on the home side of the box score for the first time, the Irish concluded their weekend with another win over Samford. Once again, Notre Dame never trailed, taking the lead in the second and never looking back.
Becker piggybacked her dazzling relief appearance with a wonderful start in the circle. Holding the Bulldogs scoreless across three innings, she allowed relievers Kamzik and Kastor to pitch with the lead. The two combined for four innings with two runs (one earned) allowed to reach the finish line.
After a Grimm RBI groundout, Notre Dame took full control of the game in the third inning. With two runners on, Amaral cranked her second homer of the weekend, pushing the Irish lead to 4-0. Through eight games, the impressive freshman leads Notre Dame with a .652 slugging percentage and 9 runs batted in.
An inning later, Samford bookended a Gaskins RBI single with run-creating defensive miscues. Notre Dame walked away with its second consecutive three-run inning, carrying a 7-0 lead. Samford would chip away with runs in the bottom of the fourth and seventh, but the Irish remained comfortably ahead to the final pitch.
With Sunday's cancellation, Notre Dame works with an added day of rest before a trip to California. The Irish will compete in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Cathedral City, playing five games against Mississippi State, Baylor, Oregon, Oregon State and Utah.
