Irish Drop Series Opener At #18/18 Florida State

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The University of Notre Dame softball team dropped the series opener against the 18th-ranked Florida State Seminoles Friday evening at JoAnne Graf Field, 6-2. The Fighting Irish drop to 23-15 overall and 7-9 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Florida State improves to 29-10 and 10-3 in the league. 

Shannon Becker started in the circle. The junior threw 3.1 innings, allowing seven hits, four earned runs and suffered the loss. Kami Kamzik came on in relief, tossing a third of an inning, allowing three hits and a pair of earned runs. Alexis Laudenslager closed the contest out for the Irish. The graduate transfer threw 2.1 innings, allowing just one hit and recording a pair of strikeouts. 

The Irish offense managed just five hits in the contest, led by a pair of two-hit efforts. Cassidy Grimm finished 2-for-3 with a run scored and Addison Amaral added a 2-for-4 performance with an RBI. Carlli Kloss added the other hit, scoring a run and Karina Gaskins drove in a run. 

How It Happened

The Irish got the scoring started, plating a pair of runs in the top of the first inning. A single up the middle followed by a bunt single put two on. Amaral drove a single through the left side to score one and put two in scoring position. Gaskins drove in the run with a fielder’s choice as Grimm slid in around the tag and the play went to review and overturned in favor of the Irish. 

Florida State cut into the lead with a solo run in the bottom of the frame. A lead off triple scored on a single as Notre Dame held the 2-1 lead. 

The Seminoles strung some offense together in the bottom of the fourth, plating five runs on seven hits, including a three-run homer. 

Both teams went scoreless over the final two innings. 

Up Next

The series continues tomorrow evening on ACC Network at 6 p.m.