April 12, 2015
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — The University of Notre Dame softball team has shown its mettle in Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) play over the last month, improving from the first game until the finale of every series it has played in the past four conference weekends. The Irish scored 10 runs on 12 hits to down Boston College 10-2 and complete the league sweep on Sunday at Shea Field.
No. RV Notre Dame (32-11, 13-5 ACC) won its 18th consecutive game with the series clinching victory, taking its 13th straight decision in ACC play. The Irish have outscored opponents 153-27 since beginning the streak on March 15 with a 12-0 win in five innings at No. 9/10 Florida State.
Notre Dame finished off the three-game sweep with a .323 team batting average, outscoring Boston College (16-18, 1-11 ACC) 23-9 during the series. Irish hitters added five doubles, two triples and two home runs to the team offensive total.
Senior co-captain and two-time All-American Emilee Koerner laced her 70th career double with one out in the top of the first inning, inside-outing a pitch down the left field line. A pair of wild pitches from Boston College starter Jessica Dreswick (1-4) scored Koerner from second and gave Notre Dame a 1-0 lead.
Annie Murphy tied the game in the bottom of the first, knocking an RBI single through the right side to score Megan Cooley for Boston College and square the score at 1-1. Sophomore Rachel Nasland limited the damage by freezing Tatiana Cortez on a 3-2 off speed pitch for the inning’s second out, before lining Chloe Sharabba out to senior Katey Haus at third base to strand Murphy at second.
Freshman Sara White crushed a double into the left field corner to lead off the top of the second inning. A Boston College throwing error on a slap by senior co-captain Jenna Simon went into the right field corner, scoring White from second to give Notre Dame a 2-1 lead. An RBI single up the middle from sophomore All-American and 2015 USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year Top 26 Finalist Karley Wester brought Simon across from second base (3-1). Junior All-American Micaela Arizmendi added an RBI single through the right side two batters later to score Wester from third, upping the Irish edge to 4-1.
Boston College clawed back into the game in the bottom of the second, as Jessie Daulton clubbed a solo home run over the scoreboard in left field to trim the Eagles deficit to 4-2. Nasland forced two straight Boston College outs to get out of the frame.
Wester drew a full-count walk against Boston College reliever Allyson Frei in the top of the fourth inning to open the Notre Dame ups. A bunt single from Koerner scored Wester all the way from first, as heads-up baserunning put the Irish in front 5-2. When Haus tried to lay down a sacrifice bunt one batter, Eagle pitcher Frei threw the ball wide of first to score Koerner and extend the Notre Dame cushion to 6-2.
Freshman Katie Beriont (3-1) allowed a leadoff double into the right center gap off the bat of Sharabba in the bottom of the fourth before taking control of the inning. Jordan Chimento struck out swinging, Daulton grounded out to second and Madison Paulson went down swinging on strikes to strand Sharabba at third.
Beriont worked out of a bases loaded jam in the bottom of the fifth inning, grounding out Sharabba to Simon at second base to strand all three Boston College runners.
For the second straight game, Beriont earned the win in relief for Notre Dame, scattering four hits and no runs over four full innings. The Irish southpaw walked one and struck out two Boston College batters on 56 pitches.
Koerner sent a no-doubt solo home run screaming over the center field fence to lead off the top of the sixth. Koerner’s eighth home run of the year extended the Notre Dame edge to 7-2.
The Irish would add three more runs off Boston College reliever Jordan Weed in the bottom of the seventh inning. An RBI double from Wester and an RBI single from Koerner helped push the Notre Dame lead to 10-2.
Boston College was able to muster a single in the home half of the seventh, but Beriont slammed the door on the hosts from there. Three straight ground ball outs closed the contest, with Murphy grounding out to third base to end the game.
Koerner led all Notre Dame players with a 4-for-5 effort at the plate on Sunday, adding two RBI and tying the Irish single-game program record by scoring four runs. Wester chipped in three hits, two RBI and three runs, while White added a pair of hits.
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