For its first game at Shea Field, the Boston College softball team (16-18), could not best the formidable Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The Eagles dropped three games to the Irish this weekend, a doubleheader on Saturday and a lone game on Sunday afternoon. The Irish are now unbeaten in 18 consecutive games, as the Eagles drop to last place in the ACC.
The first inning of these three games laid the groundwork for how this series was to go. In the top of the first, Notre Dame shortstop Morgan Reed tripled with bases loaded, scoring three. So, the Eagles began batting with a 3-0 deficit. In the bottom of the first, Jordan Chimento responded with a single that scored Tatiana Cortez, but it was too little, too late. Irish left fielder Karley Wester scored once more just an inning later, and one inning after that Katey Haus scored off a single. At the start of the fourth inning, the Eagles were down 5-1. Tatiana Cortez hit one solo home run, her fourth so far this season, and Notre Dame eventually won the first game, 5-2.
Allyson Frei took the loss, giving up five runs in four innings pitched. Her record took a serious hit this weekend, as she claimed losses for the first two games. Before Notre Dame visited she was 12-11, and now she is 12-13.
The next game began with a bit of a momentum switch, but Notre Dame quickly adapted. Megan Cooley started off batting for the Eagles, taking a walk and stealing second base. She reached third base, followed by Taylor Coroneos at second and Cortez at first. Chimento hit a pitch into shallow center field, gaining a single for herself and a run for Cooley.
Jessie Daulton then added another RBI to the tally, with a single up the middle that sent Coroneos home. Then Chloe Sharabba brought the first inning scoring to a finale with a hard grounder down the right field line. The ball evaded the right fielder, letting both Chimento and Cortez cross home plate.
Notre Dame offered no response to this 4-0 deficit until the fourth inning. The team slowly chipped at BC’s lead with a double and a single that scored two runs. Reed hit the double, and then she scored off Sara White’s center field single.
BC tacked one last run in the bottom of the fourth—Coroneos drove in Sharabba off of a single. Then, the Irish took over.
Micaela Arizmendi blasted a home run past the right field wall, scoring three. Next, Reed put the Irish in the lead, reaching home off of a throwing error. Reed would have two hits, two runs and an RBI in this game.
Notre Dame finalized its win in the sixth inning—two singles from Haus and Arizmendi put the game out of reach for the Eagles, and the game concluded 8-5.
Sunday’s finale proved to be the most lopsided contest of them all. Played on the sunnier and more temperate of the two days, the Irish scored in every inning but two, providing an offensive showing to remember. The game finished 10-2 in favor of Notre Dame. Jessica Dreswick started on the mound for the Eagles, and pitched the first inning and part way into the second. She gave up one run in the first inning from a wild pitch, and later three more in the second. Cooley scored one of BC’s two runs in the bottom of the first, off of a single RBI from Annie Murphy.
Another error led to Notre Dame’s second run, this one an infield error that saw the ball mistakenly thrown into right field.
Karley Wester and later Arizmendi hit RBI singles, and Notre Dame closed out the second inning with a hefty 4-1 lead.
Daulton tried to mount a comeback with a solo homer in the bottom of the second, but the Irish only added to their runs—two in the fourth, one in the sixth, and three in the seventh. Among these were two more errors that led to runs scored, and the Irish breezed back to South Bend with three more wins on their record.
Featured Image by Arthur Bailin / Heights Editor
