SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Prior to hosting Pittsburgh for this year’s Strikeout Cancer Weekend, the Fighting Irish softball team will battle with the IUPUI Jaguars Tuesday evening, and the UIC Flames Wednesday in a pair of midweek games. The Irish are currently 4-0 in midweek competition this season, and are 18-8-1 overall on the year.
Both games are set for a 5 p.m. first pitch at Melissa Cook Stadium, with live stats available and digital streams on the ACC Network Extra.
The Irish enter the weekend after going 2-1-1 last week, with both wins coming via the mercy rule. Carlli Kloss owns the team’s top batting average at .348, scoring a team-best 22 runs and 14 extra-base hits. Lexi Orozco, Joley Mitchell and Payton Tidd have all reached the 20 RBI plateau as Orozco and Karina Gaskins lead the team with seven home runs.
The three primary Irish pitchers have evenly appeared in 16 games each. Payton Tidd has started a team-best 11 games, throwing 82.1 innings and earning a 10-4 record. Micaela Kastor leads the team with a 1.62 ERA in 43.1 innings. She also limits opponents to a .208 average against. Shannon Becker has thrown in 50.1 innings, striking out 37 on the year.
IUPUI enters the weekend with a 6-16 overall record, winning their last two games in Horizon League action against Cleveland State. The Jaguars also split a two-game set with the Oakland Golden Grizzlies, a team the Irish defeated in Florida earlier this season.
The team hits for a .233 average, led by Jaida Speth’s .386 mark. Speth has started all 22 games, connecting on nine extra-base hits and scored seven runs. Kennedy Cowan leads the team with four home runs, driving in eight and scoring 11 runs.
The pitching staff owns a .447 ERA, led by Madison Bryant’s 3.53 ERA in nine appearances, all nine starts. She’s thrown four complete games, logging 45.2 innings. Carly Metcalf also has started all nine games she’s appeared in this season, tossing 42.2 innings. Alexa Holman and Isabella Waggner have been uses as the primary relievers, owning eight and six relief appearances, respectively.
The Flames enter this week having yet to find the win column during the 2023 season. Falling in all three games against Northern Iowa at home last weekend.
UIC owns a .177 average as a team, led by a .245 average from Carlee Jo Clark. Clark has five extra-base hits of her 13. Hailey Cowing has two-thirds of the Flame home runs, driving in seven runs this season.
The combination of Clark, Miranda Gomez and Christina Toniolo combine for a 6.18 ERA this season. Toniolo has appeared in 20 games, starting 14 and throwing 77.2 innings. Gomez has 16 appearances, 13 in relief. She adds a 6.78 ERA in 32.0 innings of work. Clark has appeared in 17 games, with 11 starts. She adds 53.1 innings and has given up a team-most 10 home runs.