CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The University of Notre Dame softball team evened the series with the North Carolina Tar Heels Friday afternoon in Chapel Hill. The Fighting Irish got a strong start in the circle from junior Shannon Becker and the bottom four hitters of the Irish lineup combined for nine of the team’s 11 hits to earn the win. The Irish improved to 21-11 overall and 6-5 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. North Carolina moves to 23-9 and 5-6 in the ACC.
Becker worked 6.2 innings to earn her fifth win of the season. She struck out one hitter, allowing eight hits, five runs, three earned in the win. Micaela Kastor came on in the seventh, getting a ground ball for the final out on the lone batter she faced.
Cassidy Grimm, Rachel Allen, Jane Kronenberger and Anna Holloway each tallied a pair of hits. Allen and Kronenberger homered, driving in three and two, respectively. Grimm added a pair of RBI as Winchell and Holloway each added an RBI.
How It Happened
North Carolina scored the first run of the day in the first inning. A lead off double came in on a sacrifice fly to take the 1-0 lead.
Notre Dame battled back in the second, scoring a run of its own. With two outs, Kronenberger singled to right center and scored from first when Holloway roped a double to the wall in right center to tie it. Allen led off the fourth with a solo homer as the Irish took the 2-1 lead.
The Tar Heels tied it again in the fourth. Another lead off double came in with two outs as a single dropped in behind the Irish infield to score the run.
The Irish offense hung its first crooked number of the weekend in the fifth, scoring six runs. An error, a walk and a fielder’s choice put two on as the Irish strung together four-straight hits, capped by a Kronenberger home run as Notre Dame took the 8-2 lead.
UNC got a run back in the bottom of the fifth, as a lead off single came around on a sacrifice fly to cut it down to 8-3, Irish.
Notre Dame tacked on two more in the sixth. Tran led off with an infield single and stole second. Grimm drove her in with a single to right center and stole second. Allen knocked a ground ball to the shortstop and the throw to get her at first was off target and Grimm came around from second to score and put the Irish up 10-3.
An error prolonged the ninth as the Tar Heels hit a two-run homer, but Kastor got the ground ball to end the game and give the Irish the win.
Up Next
The Irish and Tar Heels will have a rubber game beginning at noon Saturday at Anderson Softball Stadium.