The University of Notre Dame softball team defeated Western Michigan 11-3 in five innings at Melissa Cook Stadium on March 31, in a game marked by two weather delays. The Irish scored six runs in the first inning and improved their season record to 16-19.
This victory marks the twelfth consecutive win for Notre Dame over Western Michigan and is their twenty-second win in the last twenty-three matchups. The Irish now hold a 35-6 all-time record against the Broncos, including a 21-3 mark when playing in South Bend.
Notre Dame’s offense was strong throughout the evening, going six-for-eleven with runners in scoring position and batting .500 with two outs. The team batted through its lineup during the first inning. The eleven runs scored tied a season high for Notre Dame, while their eleven runs batted in were their best this year.
Senior Mickey Winchell led offensively with three hits, including two during the opening frame that drove in Notre Dame’s fifth and sixth runs of that inning. Winchell has now raised her batting average to .336 for the season and is twelve-for-sixteen at bat over her last four games. Freshman Ava Zachary contributed by going two-for-two at the plate with a walk, double, one run batted in, and three runs scored; she currently leads her team with a .410 batting average and twenty RBI this year.
Freshman Hayden Kyne also had an impact offensively with three RBI on two doubles, bringing her total to nineteen RBIs as a rookie. Junior Syndy Poeck added a two-run double early on to give Notre Dame a lead they did not relinquish.
In pitching duties, senior Micalea Kastor earned her fourth win of the season after throwing three innings of relief while allowing just one earned run and striking out three batters. Junior Kami Kamzik started on the mound before sophomore Brianne Weiss closed out the game by striking out two Broncos in the fifth inning.
Looking ahead, Notre Dame will travel to Tallahassee for a three-game series against Florida State beginning April 2.
