SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame softball team saw a lead evaporate in the seventh inning of Saturday’s contest against the No. 21/20 Clemson Tigers at Melissa Cook Stadium. Leading 6-5 in the final inning, Clemson mounted a six-run inning to take a commanding 11-6 lead. The visitor would go on to take the contest by that margin. The Fighting Irish fall to 23-20 on the season and 7-13 in Atlantic Coast Conference action. Clemson improves to 31-14, and 13-7 in the league.
Shannon Becker started in the circle. The junior threw 5.0 innings, allowing seven hits, four runs, three earned and struck out four. Alexis Laudenslager was first on in relief, throwing 1.1 innings, allowing four hits, four earned runs to go with a strikeout as she suffered her seventh loss of the season. Micaela Kastor threw the final 0.2 innings, giving up three earned runs on five hits to go with a strikeout.
Addison Amaral paced the Irish offense. The freshman infielder finished 2-for-4 with three RBI, two runs scored and hit her eighth home run of the season. Cassidy Grimm, Carlli Kloss, Karina Gaskins, Mickey Winchell, Jane Kronenberger and Emily Tran all tallied a hit in the contest.
How It Happened
Clemson got the scoring started for the second-straight game, plating a run on a sacrifice fly in the top of the third inning. The Tigers added two more runs in the next inning. A lead-off walk and a single put two on and a one-out walk loaded the bases. A sacrifice fly scored another Tiger run before a single to left drove in the second run of the inning as the Tigers took the 3-0 lead.
The Irish battled back in their half of the fourth, taking the lead. Four-straight singles from the top of the lineup scored two runs and kept the pressure on. Notre Dame tied it up when Winchell reached base as her ground ball to the shortstop was fielded, but the first baseman pulled her foot, allowing Winchell to reach safely. Kronenberger followed with a single that hit off the Clemson pitcher to bring in the fourth run of the inning and put the Irish up 4-3.
A two-out rally helped the Irish extend their lead in the fifth. A two-out walk to Kloss came around to score when Amaral hit her eighth homer of the season to extend the lead to 6-3.
The Tigers clawed their way back, cutting the lead down to one with a two-run homer in the top of the sixth inning. Clemson continued their comeback in the top of the seventh, scoring six runs on seven hits and taking an 11-6 lead into the bottom of the seventh.
Notre Dame would get a runner on in the seventh, but couldn’t cut into the Clemson lead.
Up Next
The series concludes tomorrow at 6 p.m. on ACC Network at Melissa Cook Stadium.