Senior Kasey O'Connor

Buntin Totals Five Hits As Irish Coast By Providence

April 28, 2012

Game 1: Box Score | Box ScoreGet Acrobat Reader
Game 2: Box Score | Box ScoreGet Acrobat Reader

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Notre Dame churned out 22 hits to pick up a pair of wins over Providence Saturday at Raymond Field. Five of those hits came from Amy Buntin, who went 3-for-5 with a home run, double, two runs and four RBI during an 8-4 comeback victory in game two.

The first of the two BIG EAST Conference softball bouts saw Dani Miller hit her fourth home run in as many games to give Notre Dame a 5-3 edge over the Friars (15-33 overall, 6-11 BIG EAST).

Now riding a season-high 10-game winning streak, Notre Dame (31-13, 12-3) will go for a sweep of the Friars at noon (ET) on Saturday. Live stats will be available at UND.com.

Laura Winter (21-8) gave up three hits in game one while Brittany O’Donnell (10-5) surrendered five hits – two of which left the infield – and a pair of earned runs to close the day.

Buntin singled in the second and Kelsey Thornton singled in the third, though both runners were left stranded on second base in the opening frames of game one.

Winter held Providence without a hit until the fifth, tossed 4.2 perfect innings and fanned 11 hitters up to Jessie Bryant’s singled up the middle with two away in the fifth.

The most damaging of the three allowed by Winter was Kristie Dederick’s three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth. Winter would finish with a career-high 15 strikeouts.

Miller slammed a home run into the windshield of a car parked beyond the leftfield fence to put the Irish on the board in the fourth.

The home run was not the first for Miller at Raymond Field, as the slugger ripped a grand slam when Notre Dame last visited Providence in 2009.

Singles by Chloe Saganowich and Thornton in the fifth put Alexa Maldonado in position to notch a sacrifice fly with a towering shot to deep left which brought Saganowich home from third. Jenna Simon added a sacrifice bunt during the stint.

Buntin and Miller singled in the sixth and scored on Kasey O’Connor’s three-run homer to center, the second round-tripper of her career and first on the season to give Notre Dame a 5-0 edge.

Thornton, Buntin and Miller smacked two hits apiece off of Corinne Clauss (7-13), who allowed nine hits and five earned runs in the losing effort.

Providence loaded the bases and plated two runs to begin the backend of the doubleheader on Bryant’s infield single.

O’Connor ripped a one-out double in the second and Saganowich added a single, though both would fail to score.

Katey Haus singled home Notre Dame’s first run of the game with a two-out single up the middle in the top of the third. The hit scored Maldonado, who started the inning by drawing a walk.

A four-run fifth inning for the Irish made the difference in the comeback win. Notre Dame posted four hits as singles by Maldonado and Emilee Koerner singled before each scored on Buntin’s two-RBI rip to right. Saganowich drew chalk with a double down the rightfield line to score pinch-runner Monica Torres.

Buntin padded her stats with a two-run homer in the sixth. The 10th hit of the game came from Miller, who smacked a single through the right side of the infield.

Eight of nine Irish batters tallied at least one hit, led by Buntin’s 3-for-5 showing.

Notre Dame left 13 runners on base and committed three errors.

–ND–