SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Junior Shannon Becker threw a complete game in the circle as a balanced Fighting Irish offensive attack led the way to a 10-3 victory over the Virginia Cavaliers Saturday afternoon at Melissa Cook Stadium. With the win, the University of Notre Dame evened the series with UVA and improved to 22-13 on the season, and 7-7 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Becker threw all 7.0 innings Saturday. The junior allowed seven hits, three earned runs and struck out two to earn her sixth win of the year.
Freshman Addison Amaral led the offensive attack, finishing 3-for-4 with four RBI and scored twice, adding her team-leading 12th double of the year. Mac Vasquez got her seventh start of her career, earning her first multi-hit effort as she finished 2-for-3 with a run scored. Cassidy Grimm, Carlli Kloss, Karina Gaskins, Emily Tran, Rachel Allen and Mickey Winchell all added a hit in the contest.
Gaskins hit a home run, marking the third consecutive season that the senior has homered on Strikeout Cancer weekend. The Edison, New Jersey-native also drew a walk in the contest, setting a new program record with 42 walks drawn this season.
How It Happened
The Cavaliers got the scoring started with a pair of runs in the top of the first inning. A lead-off double came in on an Abby Weaver single who took second on the throw home. A two-out single brought home the second run as Virginia took the early lead.
Notre Dame responded in the home half of the first. Grimm led off with a single that hit the top of the wall in left field, and moved up with a bunt single from Kloss. Amaral drove a double to the gap in left center to bring in two as the Irish tied it up.
After a scoreless second, the Irish forged ahead in the third. Amaral knocked a one-out single through the left side and Gaskins went the other way for her sixth homer of the season to take the lead at 4-2.
Virginia got a run back in the fifth with a sacrifice fly to cut the lead to 4-3.
After a solo run in the bottom of the fifth extended the lead back to two, the Irish put the game away with a five-spot in the sixth. A single, an error on a sacrifice bunt and a walk loaded the bases for Amaral who drove in a run with a single up the middle. Tran delivered a run with a ground out to the left side and Allen brought home the fifth run of the inning as she dropped a single on the left field foul line to score the fifth run of the inning.
Becker closed out the game in the seventh, picking up her only strikeouts of the day in the final frame.
Up Next
The Irish and Cavaliers will take the field again Sunday at noon at Melissa Cook Stadium.