BLACKSBURG, Va. – The Notre Dame softball team battled hard on the road against one of the top teams in the country, but ultimately dropped Saturday’s doubleheader to 12th-ranked Virginia 5-0 and 12-4 in five innings. The Irish are now 19-23-1 on the year and 6-11 in conference play.
Addison Amaral reached 100 career hits with a single up the middle in the opening inning of game two. The sophomore shortstop notched two hits on the day and leads the team with 47 this season.
Caroline O’Brien extended her team-best hitting streak to 10 games. The freshman had an infield single in game one and a pair of hits in game two.
Anna Holloway clubbed her third home run of the season on a ball crushed to center field in the second inning of game two. It was her ninth career homer.
Game One
Freshman Brianne Weiss made her 5th start of the season, 4th in conference play. Facing one of the top teams in the country in a hostile atmosphere, Weiss ran into trouble earlier, walking the first two batters before hitting the next batter by a pitch to load the bases with no outs.
After striking out the next two batters, a two-run single up the middle by Jordan Lynch put the Hokies up 2-0 after the opening frame.
Jane Kronenberger delivered the first hit for the Irish in the top of the third, a single to center field with one out. Two batters later, Emily Tran reached on an error to put two on with two outs for Notre Dame, but Virginia Tech starter Emma Lemley got a swinging strikeout to escape the jam.
Lemley and Weiss exchanged blows the next two innings, both putting up zeros in the following innings.
In the bottom of the fourth, a leadoff hit followed by a walk put more traffic on for the Hokies. After a sac bunt, Weiss got a huge swinging strikeout of Cori McMillan, one of the best hitters in the nation, before getting a lineout to escape any danger. The score remained 2-0 after four.
Kami Kamzik would take over in the fifth. Weiss finished her start with a line of 4 innings pitched, 3 hits, 2 earned runs, 4 walks and 4 strikeouts.
The Hokies added another run in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI-double to the right center field gap. Virginia Tech led 3-0 after five.
O’Brien got an infield single in the top of the sixth to extend her hitting streak to nine games, the most by any player on the team so far this season.
A two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth was the final blow in game one. Virginia Tech took game one 5-0.
Game Two
Notre Dame got the…