DURHAM, N.C. – The University of Notre Dame softball team dropped its Atlantic Coast Conference semifinal tournament game to the No. 13/16 Florida State Seminoles Thursday night in Durham. Notre Dame closes the season 27-23 overall.
Alexis Laudenslager started in the circle, throwing 5.1 innings. The graduate student allowed just four hits and two earned runs to go with a pair of walks as she limited one of the top offenses in the country. Shannon Becker was on in relief, throwing the final 0.2 innings, giving up a hit and a walk without allowing a run.
Notre Dame’s offense managed just four hits in the contest. Mickey Winchell, Addison Amaral, Jane Kronenberger and Emily Tran all recorded hits. Kronenberger was the lone extra-base hit, doubling in the second inning.
How It Happened
The Irish applied pressure early, getting two runners on with one out, but a ground ball to the left side erased the threat as the Florida State defense turned a double play to get out of the jam.
Laudenslager faced some drama in the bottom of the first, giving up a single and a walk to put two on before inducing a ground ball to third. Cassidy Grimm fielded the bouncing ball, stepped on the third and relayed to first for the double play. A fly out ended the threat as the first frame ended with zeroes on the scoreboard.
Florida State took the lead in the bottom of the third inning, getting a lead-off homer to go up 1-0.
The Irish again had something cooking in the top of the fourth, loading the bases with two outs. A ground ball extinguished the threat as Florida State wiggled off the hook again.
FSU doubled up its lead in the sixth inning, hitting a one-out homer to take the 2-0 lead.
Notre Dame went down in order in the seventh as the offense never quite found its footing against the Florida State pitching staff.