Now 26-22 overall on the season and 8-15 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Notre Dame softball team lost two games in their final regular season series against Boston College this past weekend.
Game One
In the first game against the Eagles, the Irish took the close 3-2 win.
Graduate student Alexis Laudenslager started in the circle for the Irish, pitching 1.1 innings. Laudenslager allowed one hit, one earned run, three walks and struck out two. Junior Shannon Becker came in as relief, throwing 5.2 innings. Becker took her eighth win of the season after allowing four hits, one earned run, and striking out five.
Neither team scored in the first inning, but Boston College jumped ahead in the second inning to take a 1-0 lead. Neither team scored in the third inning either, but both teams scored in the fourth inning, making the score 2-1 in favor of the Eagles. Notre Dame kept their momentum going in the fifth and sixth innings, scoring a run in each inning to pull ahead by one. With the Eagles unable to respond in the seventh, the Irish took the 3-2 win.
Offensively, the Irish had five leaders in the box. The seniors had a big game, with catcher Carlli Kloss, third baseman Cassidy Grimm and utility infielder Mac Vasquez tallying key hits for Notre Dame. Junior designated player Rachel Allen and freshman second baseman Addison Amaral also singled in crucial moments to lead the Irish to victory over the Eagles.
Game Two
In the second game against the Eagles, the Irish were not able maintain momentum and took the 10-9 loss.
Laudenslager started on the mound again for Notre Dame, throwing 3.0 innings. This outing, she allowed three hits, three earned runs and hurled three strikeouts before handing the ball off to sophomore Micaela Kastor. Kastor suffered the loss for the Irish after throwing 2.2 innings and allowing five hits, six earned runs and striking out four. Freshman Kami Kamzik finished the game in the circle for the Irish, throwing 1.1 innings. Kamzik allowed two hits, one earned run and had two strikeouts.
Notre Dame jumped ahead in the bottom of the first inning, scoring two runs. Neither team scored in the second inning, but Boston College responded in the top of the third inning by putting up three runs, making the score 3-2 in favor of the Eagles. The Irish did not let that stop them, for they then scored four runs in the third inning to take a 6-3 lead. Both teams scored a run in the fourth inning, making the score 7-4. Boston College then pulled ahead in the sixth inning, scoring five runs to gain a 9-7 lead. The Eagles added one more run in the seventh inning to extend their lead to three. Though the Irish scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh, their rally fell short, resulting in a 10-9 Eagles victory.
Offensively, the Irish totaled 12 hits across the seven innings. Amaral led in the box with a 2-for-4 effort, hitting her ninth and 10th home runs of the season. She tallied three RBIs and three runs. Kloss, sophomore center fielder Mickey Winchell and junior shortstop Anna Holloway each added two hits of their own. Kloss and Holloway drove in two runs while Grimm added a single RBI. Junior right fielder Jane Kronenberger also contributed offensively with a 1-for-1 effort at the plate, adding an RBI and one run while drawing two walks.
Game Three
In the finale against the Eagles, the Irish lost 6-3.
Both teams scored in the first inning, setting up a 1-1 tie. Neither team scored in the second inning, but the Eagles pulled ahead with a five-run third inning to take a 6-1 lead. With two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Irish managed to put two more runs on the board but ultimately fell to the Eagles in a 6-3 loss.
Becker started on the mound in the series finale, pitching 2.1 innings for the Irish. She allowed six hits, six runs (four of which were earned) and had one strikeout. Laudenslager came in to relieve Becker and closed out the game for the Irish, throwing 4.2 innings. Laudenslager allowed three hits and had three strikeouts.
Though they currently sit as the No. 8 seed in the ACC Softball Championship, the Irish must wait for Syracuse, Louisville and Boston College to finish their makeup series to know if they’ll make the 10 team field. The ACC Softball Championship will begin on May 8 and conclude with the championship game on May 11 at 2:30 p.m.
