CONWAY, S.C. – The Notre Dame softball team didn’t allow a single run during Saturday’s matchups at the Battle of the Beach, winning 9-0 over Towson in five innings before beating Kent State 5-0 in the afternoon.
Kami Kamzik pitched a gem in the first game of the day, striking out a career-best eight batters over five innings. She only allowed two hits and three total baserunners on the day. The Irish scored a season-high nine runs and Kaia Cortes broke open the game with a bases clearing double in the second.
The Notre Dame bats came alive throughout the day. Addison Amaral and Paige Cowley both homered against Kent State, while Emily Tran logged three hits against the Golden Flashes. Micaela Kastor and Shannon Becker kept Kent State off the scoreboard and didn’t walk a single batter during the afternoon.
Notre Dame improves to 5-5 through the first 10 games of the year.
Towson Recap
Playing as the home team, Kamzik tossed a 1-2-3 opening inning, including a swinging strikeout to end the top half, in her second start of the season.
It wouldn’t take long for Notre Dame to strike after that. The Irish put up a five spot in the bottom of the second. Avery Houlihan, in her first career at-bat, came up with the bases loaded and lined a pitch into left field for her first career hit and RBI as the Irish struck first 1-0. After a hit by pitch that brought home another run, Cortes roped a ball into the right center field gap to score Houlihan, Tran and Caroline O’Brien to put Notre Dame up 5-0 after two.
The Irish kept piling on in the third. With two on, Sydny Poeck drove home Jane Kronenberger with a base hit to left. Two batters later, Tran drilled one back up the middle and two more scored. Notre Dame led 9-0 after three.
Kamzik continued to deal in the circle. The sophomore struck out three batters in the top of the fourth and had eight punchouts through four innings.
Brianne Weiss would come in and seal the deal in the fifth. The southpaw got her first three career strikeouts, finishing the game with a swinging strikeout to give Notre Dame the 9-0 victory.
Kent State Recap
Micaela Kastor took the ball in game two, making her fifth start of the season. The junior got three punchouts in the top of the first to start her day.
In the bottom half, Addison Amaral launched her first homer of the season, a two-run opposite field shot that hit off the Coastal Carolina scoreboard. Tran, who was on third, greeted her at home as the Irish took…