SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame softball team lost and tied its two games of an Atlantic Coast Conference series with the visiting Syracuse Orange Sunday. The day started with a 5-3 loss, before the nightcap ended in a 0-0 tie, following an hour rain delay, resumption of play for an inning, and more weather in the eighth inning saw the game called. The Fighting Irish are now 18-8-1 on the season, and 4-4-1 in ACC play. After run-ruling Syracuse Friday night, the Irish ended the three-game series against Syracuse 1-1-1.
This is the first tie for the Notre Dame program since the 2008 season when the Irish tied Loyola-Chicago in the second game of a midweek doubleheader. It’s the first tie in Notre Dame’s ACC history, and the first tie in a conference matchup in program history.
Micaela Kastor started the day in the circle. The freshman threw 3.2 innings and suffered her first loss of the season. She allowed seven hits, five earned runs and struck out four before giving way to Shannon Becker. Becker worked the final 3.1 innings, scattering four hits, without allowing a run.
Macie Eck led the offense in game one, coming off the bench and going 2-for-2, scoring a run and connecting on the first extra-base hit of her career to start a rally in the seventh. Leea Hanks, Lexi Orozco, and Payton Tidd each tallied hits. Hanks drove in Eck late, Orozco hit a two-run homer and Tidd added a base knock.
Tidd worked in the nightcap, throwing seven-plus innings in the tie game. The graduate student allowed just five hits on 103 pitches, striking out a pair.
The offense managed just five hits in the contest, all singles. Hanks, Karina Gaskins, Joley Mitchell, Jane Kronenberger and Brooke Marquez each tallied a hit in the contest.
How It Happened – Game One
The Orange jumped out to an early lead in the top of the third with a solo home run, and kept the pressure on the following inning. Syracuse led off the frame with four-straight hits, driving in three before a two-out single drove in the fourth run to extend the lead to 5-0.
Notre Dame answered in the bottom of the fourth. A lead-off walk from Hanks was driven in by a homer from Orozco to cut the lead to 5-2.
The Irish threatened by loading the bases in the bottom of the fifth, putting two in scoring position in the sixth and cutting into the lead with an RBI single from Hanks in the seventh, but left the tying run at the plate with a ground out to end the game.
How It Happened – Game Two
The nightcap was a pitchers duel as neither side could break the through. Notre Dame threatened with runners in scoring position in the fifth and sixth innings, but couldn’t get the production it needed to bring in a run. Syracuse saw runners reach first and second in the fifth with two outs, before a pop up ended the threat. The sixth saw two Syracuse hitters move into scoring position with two outs, but a fly ball to center field ended the threat.
In the top of the seventh inning the game entered its first rain delay. After a minute over an hour delay, the teams took the field again, with neither side scoring in the seventh. The eighth inning saw a lead-off single by the Orange, before the game was ultimately called a tie because of weather, and Syracuse’s travel schedule.
Up Next
The Irish are back in action Tuesday as they host the IUPUI Jaguars at 5 p.m. at Melissa Cook Stadium.