CLEMSON, S.C. – The University of Notre Dame softball team flexed its muscles in route to a 7-2 victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes to start the ACC/B1G Challenge at Clemson. The Fighting Irish used a pair of three-run home runs to take the lead and put the game out of reach to earn their fifth win of the season. Ohio State falls to 2-3 on the year.
Payton Tidd started in the circle, throwing the 31st complete game of her career. The graduate student worked the full 7.0 innings, allowing just four hits, two earned runs and struck out six in the victory.
Lexi Orozco and Tidd did the offensive damage. Each finished 1-for-3 with a three-run home run. Jane Kronenberger, Joley Mitchell, Rachel Allen and Brooke Marquez each added a hit in the contest. Mitchell scored a pair of runs to go with her double and an RBI.
This is the fourth game in Tidd’s career that she’s thrown a complete game and hit a home run in the same contest. The Irish are 4-0 when she’s accomplished that feat.
How It Happened
After a scoreless first three innings, Ohio State got on the board to start the fourth. Back-to-back singles started the frame before Tidd struck out the next two hitters. The Irish couldn’t stave off the Buckeye rally as Destinee Noury drove a single to right to score two and put Ohio State up 2-0.
The Irish answered in the home half of the fourth. Karina Gaskins drew a one-out walk to start the rally as Kronenberger singled to center. Mitchell drove a double to left center to bring in one, but Kronenberger was thrown out trying to take third. After a walk to Allen, Orozco hit her first Irish home run, putting Notre Dame up 4-2 after four innings of play.
Tidd broke the game open herself in the sixth. A walk and a single from Allen put two on as Tidd hit her first home run of the season to extend the lead to 7-2.
Tidd was back out in the bottom of the frame. She allowed a hit in the seventh, but Ohio State never added another runner as she earned the victory.
Up Next
Notre Dame is back in action tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. as it’ll take on the #13/11 Northwestern Wildcats at McWhorter Stadium and follow that with a rematch with the Buckeyes at 12:30 p.m. on day two of the ACC/B1G challenge.