On Tuesday evening, the Notre Dame softball team faced Indiana on the road at Andy Mohr Field in Bloomington. In a night where their hitting never got going, the Irish lost to the Hoosiers 11-1.
The Irish are nearing the end of their season, having compiled a record of 17-26. They have played many well-respected teams this spring, including Louisville, Auburn, Liberty, Georgia Tech and San Diego State. When it came time to face a red-hot Indiana team, the Irish ultimately could not keep up.
Sitting at 31-10, Indiana has obtained an impressive record this season. The Hoosiers have faced competitive pitching as well, such as Army, Delaware, Ohio State and Stonehill. Leadoff hitter Aly VanBrandt and Avery Parker are hitting over .400 respectively, each also tallying 11 home runs on the season. Between the fierce hitting pedigree of all nine starters, and three starting pitchers throwing below a 3.0 ERA, Indiana has been a tough challenge for any opponent.
For the Irish, freshman infielder Ava Zachary has been a huge asset on the offensive end. Leading off for Notre Dame, she has collected 42 hits with a .412 average throughout the season. Junior utility player Sydny Poeck has also played a large role in Notre Dame’s ability to compete, hitting .311 and earning one of Notre Dame’s few hits against Indiana. During her sophomore season, Poeck had eight multi-hit games and a 17-game on-base streak. This season senior pitcher Micaela Kastor has also been an integral piece for the Irish, starting 16 games. As a junior, she made a team-high 32 appearances and 21 starts in the circle. She also won 10 games for a second-straight season.
On the mound, junior pitcher Kami Kamzik got the start for the Irish and was immediately tested by Indiana. The Hoosiers kicked off the game with a strong first inning, scoring a run after Notre Dame began empty. The Irish quickly struck back in the top of the second, beginning with a Poeck single through the infield. Poeck advanced to second on a wild pitch and then to third after sophomore Avery Houlihan grounded out. With a runner in scoring position, junior outfielder Tenley Sweet singled past the shortstop, driving in Poeck for the first Irish run. While this inning evened the score at 1-1, it was the closest Notre Dame would get throughout the rest of the game.
Indiana retook the lead in the next inning, scoring an additional two runs to make the margin 3-1. The Irish held Indiana scoreless in the third, but the Hoosiers could not be denied in an explosive fourth inning. Indiana scored eight runs, capped off by a grand slam from Alex Cooper. This brought the lead to 11-1 and closed scoring for the day. The Irish had one more opportunity in the fifth but were unable to manage any success.
The Irish concluded the game with one RBI, while the Hoosiers recorded nine, driving in hitters throughout the game.
Sweet ended up logging her 10th RBI of the season during the second inning. She scored 19 runs as the team’s first pinch runner off the bench her freshman year.
The Irish will compete against Northwestern today at Melissa Cook Stadium.
