A rough start in the circle and missed opportunities at the plate for the Clemson Softball Tigers would give Notre Dame a win in the final game of the weekend series, taking game three 6-5 to prevent the sweep. After a valiant comeback for the second night in a row, Clemson would give up a 2-run walk-off single to Karina Gaskins in the bottom of the seventh to finish the series 2-1 on the weekend.
Notre Dame pitcher Alexis Laudenslager would make her third appearance of the series in the circle on Sunday night, having lost the last two games and looking for more success this time around. Having seen this Fighting Irish pitcher a lot this weekend, short stop Maddie Moore would get a leadoff single into right field to get the Tigers going in the top of the first. Second baseman Alex Brown would follow that with a single into right of her own to put Clemson in a good position early. However, after center fielder McKenzie Clark and designated player Julia Knowler both grounded into fielder’s choices to get the lead runners for the first and second outs, first baseman Valerie Cagle would strike out and Laudenslager would get out of the jam.
For the Tigers, Brooke McCubbin would take the ball for the series finale. Notre Dame catcher Carlli Kloss would take McCubbin off the right field wall to notch a double to start the night for the Fighting Irish. Center fielder Mickey Winchall would then hoof out a ground ball to be safe at first and put runners on the corners with no outs. A hard ground ball hit by second baseman Addison Amaral to Brown at second would be too tough for her to handle, and the Irish would take the early lead in the first by scoring the runner from third. With two outs, designated player Rachel Allen would make McCubbin pay for letting too many runners on the bases by hitting a deep 3-run home run over right center field to make the score 4-0 Notre Dame. Short stop Jane Kronenberger would pop out in foul territory to third baseman Alia Logoleo to stop the bleeding, and the inning would be over.
Right fielder Lindsey Garcia would strike out to start the second, giving Laudenslager some confidence. Logoleo would pick on the Irish pitcher by hitting a double into the gap in right center and give the Tigers another base runner in scoring position with just one out. Catcher Aby Viera would pop out to left fielder Emily Tran for out number two, but left fielder Arielle Oda would draw a 3-2 walk and flip the order for Clemson. Moore would hit one very deep to dead center field, but the ball would drop right at the top of the wall, where Winchall would make the grab and end the Clemson threat.
Short stop Anna Holloway would give Notre Dame their fifth hit of the game with a hit into center field to start the home half of the second. McCubbin would get left fielder Emily Tran to pop out, but the order would flip to Kloss, who would get another base hit to center. That would make quick work of Brooke’s night (1.1 IP, 6 H, 4 ER), prompting pitching coach Kyle Jamieson to take the ball from McCubbin and enter Regan Spencer in relief. Logoleo would take care of a ground ball and tag third base for out number two, and, after a weird throw-down play that moved the Irish base runners to second and third, Spencer would induce a pop out to right field from Amaral to end the second inning.
After a relatively quiet third and fourth inning for both teams, the fifth would provide some mid-game drama. Laudenslager would get Oda for her fourth strikeout of the day, but Moore would draw a full-count walk to reach with only one out. Brown would walk on four more pitches to give Clemson more base runners and an opportunity for Clark. She’d go down on strikes, however, with Knowler up to bat next. Julia would reach on a walk of her own, giving Cagle another opportunity to scratch some runs across for the Tigers with two outs and the bases loaded. After a mound visit from Irish coach Deanna Gumpf, Laudenslager would give the ball over to Shannon Becker and end her day in the circle (4.2 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 5 K). Becker would get Cagle to pop out in foul territory, and yet another Tiger threat would be avoided. Spencer would get Notre Dame in order in the bottom half, leaving Clemson with just two innings to make up the deficit.
Despite Garcia grounding out to start the sixth, Logoleo would get a quick hit into right field to try and give Clemson some momentum. Viera would pop out to a diving Tran in left for out number two, but Arielle Oda would hit a deep drive to right center to score Logoleo from first and end the shutout. Moore would walk, bringing the tying run to the plate in Brown. She would hit a single into center to score Oda, and the lead would be cut to two. A shaken Becker would prompt another mound visit from coach Gumpf as she would face Clark next. McKenzie would send a 3-1 pitch into center to bring Moore in from second, making the score 4-3. Knowler would ground out to end the inning, but the Tigers would be in business. Spencer would get the Irish to go down 1-2-3 in the bottom half to send the game to the seventh.
Valerie Cagle would start the last inning with a single into left field, giving Clemson some life in the seventh. Garcia would immediately hit a double into shallow right center to move the pinch runner Bomhardt to third with no outs. On a 3-2 count, Logoleo would strike out on a ball down and in with a checked swing to give the Irish their first out. Coach John Rittman would insert Jojo Hyatt as a pinch hitter, and she would lay down a bunt. On a bang-bang play, Bomhardt would be called out on a tag at the plate. Rittman would challenge the call, but the call would be upheld after a lengthy review. With runners on the corners and two outs, Oda would hit a hard-hit ball at Holloway in short. It would take a hard bounce off of her glove, and find its way into deep left field. Garcia and Ariail (pinch-running for Hyatt) would score, giving the Tigers the 5-4 lead. Moore would pop out for out number three, but Clemson would claw its way back in front headed to the final frame.
Spencer would try to close out the Irish in the bottom of the seventh with a one-run lead. Shortstop Holloway would redeem herself from her error by getting a hard bouncer to eat up Logoleo at third and notch her a place at first. Tran would hit a roller to first slow enough to where she would beat the throw, and Notre Dame would have two runners on base with no outs and the top of the order due up. Spencer would get Kloss on a pop out to Moore, but Winchell would draw a walk to load the bases. Regan (5.0 IP, 1 H, 2 K) would then give the ball to Millie Thompson, looking to end the Notre Dame threat.
Thompson would get Amaral looking on a nasty strike out for out number two, but Karina Gaskins would walk it off for the Irish with a soft hit into left field. It would drive in two and give Notre Dame (24-20, 8-13 ACC) the 6-5 win.
After Clemson takes this series on the road (#20, 31-15, 13-8 ACC), they’ll look to do the same in their final regular season series against Louisville for three games next weekend. The first game will start Friday afternoon in Louisville, Kentucky.
