ATLANTA, Ga. — Notre Dame clinched the series win 3-1 over Georgia Tech Sunday with a 6-2 victory in game four of the weekend. Senior Alexis Holloway (6-3) earned the win, while junior Payton Tidd’s 2.0 innings in which the Jackets were retired in order sealed it for the Irish.
At the plate, Notre Dame compiled an impressive 12 hits, with 10 coming in the first three innings alone. The Irish kept the line moving, as five different players — senior Abby Sweet, junior Emma Clark, graduate student Katie Marino, junior Quinn Biggio and sophomore Leea Hanks — notched RBI. Every batter in Notre Dame’s starting nine reached base at some point through the first three innings alone.
Sunday’s contest caps off a productive weekend at the plate for the Irish. Through the four games, Notre Dame batters hit home runs on eight occasions, with freshman Karina Gaskins leading the pack with four on the weekend, including three in a single game.
Clark led the Irish in batting average, posting .643 as she went 9-for-14 with six runs, an RBI and 10 total bases on the weekend. Her .667 OBP also led the Irish for the series, and both of her stolen base attempts were successful.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Clark started off the hitting for the Irish with a one-out single in the first, followed by a single from Marino, as Clark advanced to third and Marino took second on the throw. Gaskins walked to load the bases, and Biggio delivered a sac fly to score Clark. Immediately following, Hanks slammed a single to push Marino over the plate.
While Georgia Tech singled in the first, Holloway struck out one and Sweet and Hanks took care of the other two outs to hold the 2-0 lead.
Notre Dame again came out swinging in the second, as Holloway singled, getting to second on a subsequent single from sophomore Brooke Marquez. After Marquez was tagged out on a fielder’s choice, Clark doubled to score Holloway, pushing Sweet to third. Marino singled to bring in another run, and with another scoreless inning from Georgia Tech, the Irish headed to the third up 4-0.
Singles again made it happen for Notre Dame, as graduate student Chelsea Purcell delivered a leadoff base hit, followed by another from Holloway. A double play tagged out Purcell and Marquez, but Sweet singled to bring Holloway home. Georgia Tech was able to respond in the home half of the inning, as a double followed by a flyout placed a runner on third. An RBI single brought the runner home, but Holloway struck out the final batter with bases loaded to limit the scoring, entering the fourth with a 5-1 lead.
Unable to add any runs in the fourth, Notre Dame headed to the field and gave up one more Georgia Tech run on an RBI single, to end the inning at 5-2.
Both teams did not produce any runs in the fifth, and Sweet sent a solo shot outside the walls for her second home run of the weekend and fifth of the season in the sixth, putting the Irish up 6-2. Tidd entered to pitch for the Irish to start the sixth, and struck out two to retire Georgia Tech in order.
While the Irish did not add more runs in the seventh, Tidd again sat the Jackets down in order, adding another strikeout to preserve the 6-2 win.
UP NEXT
Notre Dame will return home to play its first home game since May 5, 2019, as the Irish prepare to take on Valparaiso Wednesday, March 24 at Melissa Cook Stadium. Then, Notre Dame will welcome NC State for a four-game series from March 26-28.