Feb. 25, 2017
by Tony Jones
Box Score | ND vs. OU 
| Photo Gallery 
CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. – A second signature victory of the weekend ended, in style, what has been the most daunting schedule to open a season in University of Notre Dame softball history. A pair of late home runs, including a solo blast off the bat of freshman Katie Marino in the seventh inning, was the knockout punch for the Irish on Saturday in a 5-4 win over No. 4/5 Oklahoma.
The victory against the defending NCAA champion Sooners marked the second straight ranked triumph for Notre Dame to close the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic at the Big League Dreams Sports Complex. The Irish previously earned a 10-7 decision against No. 11/12 Georgia on Friday.
How It Happened
Oklahoma (9-4) struck first with a diving single into center field with two outs in the bottom of the first, pushing the Sooners ahead 1-0. A deep fly ball to center field with two on and two away was hauled in by Karley Wester to leave both Oklahoma runners aboard.
Notre Dame (6-8) clawed back into the contest in the top of the second inning. Melissa Rochford reached by way of a one-out walk, and moved to second on a wild pitch. Kimmy Sullivan ripped a single through the right side, and a subsequent Oklahoma throwing error allowed Rochford to score and tie the game at 1-1. Madison Heide followed with an RBI single to left center that plated Sullivan for the 2-1 Irish advantage.
Notre Dame starter Katie Beriont looked to be out of danger in the bottom of the second frame, but back-to-back Irish fielding errors allowed Oklahoma to re-take the lead at 3-2 with two outs. Marino then made a great backhand stop at second base to end the Sooner ups.
The Irish tied the game with a run of their own in the top of the third. Karley Wester led off with a chop single to third base, taking second on a steal. Morgan Reed crushed a double to left field two batters later that allowed Wester to coast home and even the score at 3-3.
Beriont notched consecutive shutout frames against the Oklahoma lineup in the third and fourth innings. A pair of groundouts and a fly ball out to Ali Wester in left field turned the Sooners aside in the fourth.
Oklahoma scrapped back into the lead in the bottom of the fifth following an RBI double to right field that made the score 4-3 in favor of the Sooners. Notre Dame reliever Rachel Nasland picked up three straight outs from there to slow the Oklahoma inning to a halt.
Notre Dame re-tied the game in the top of the sixth inning. Caitlyn Brooks destroyed the first pitch she saw from Oklahoma’s Paige Parker gone to center field. Brooks’ fourth home run of the year even the score once more at 4-4.
Marino came through in the final Irish ups with her second big-time home run in as many weekends to lead off the top of the seventh. Marino rocked a 0-1 offering from Parker deep out of Wrigley Field in left, and the freshman’s second career home run vaulted Notre Dame back in front at 5-4.
After two quick outs, including a Nasland strikeout, opened the bottom of the seventh inning, Oklahoma managed to load the bases. Nasland forced her opposite number Parker to ground out to shortstop with the winning run at second base to nail down the win.
Game Notes
Notre Dame earned its fifth win in series history over Oklahoma, including its fourth when the Sooners have been ranked in the national top 10 ââ’¬¦ Saturday’s game marked the second time the Irish have downed Oklahoma as either the eventual or defending NCAA champion, along with a 4-2 win over the future NCAA title-winners on March 18, 2000 ââ’¬¦ A win over the No. 4 team in the country matches the highest ranked foe Notre Dame has defeated in program history ââ’¬¦ Notre Dame’s three top 15 victories thus far in 2017 lead all teams in the ACC.
Up Next
The Irish travel to the Diamond 9 Citrus Classic for four games on March 4-5 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Kissimmee, Florida.
For the latest news and updates on all things Notre Dame softball, visit www.und.com/softball, follow the Irish @NDsoftball and @NDcoachGumpf on Twitter and at Instagram.com/notredamesoftball, and Like the team at Facebook.com/NDSoftball.
–ND–
Tony Jones, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since 2012 and coordinates all media efforts for the Notre Dame softball and men’s soccer programs. A native of Jamestown, New York, Jones is a 2011 graduate of St. Bonaventure University, and prior to arriving at Notre Dame held positions at the University of Louisiana Monroe and with the National Football League’s Buffalo Bills.