After suffering a three-game sweep at the hands of North Carolina State, Notre Dame recovered on the tail end of its spring break slate, winning three of five games, including a no-hitter.
The Irish (15-11, 1-5 ACC) defeated Campbell and North Carolina Central by respective scores of 4-3 and 9-0 (in five innings) before losing two straight to Florida State by scores of 4-1 and 7-3.
In Sunday’s game against the Seminoles, however, sophomore right-hander Rachel Nasland gave the Irish a performance for the record books.
After struggling in her Saturday outing against the Seminoles, a 4-1 loss, Nasland rebounded for a sharp performance Sunday. In the five-inning, 12-0 victory, Nasland did not allow a hit and threw just 61 pitches while striking out four and only walking two. The no-hitter was the first of Nasland’s career and the 35th solo no-hitter (42nd overall) in the program’s history.
The Irish relied on strong offensive performances to help out Nasland during her showing Sunday. Senior center fielder Emilee Koerner chipped in with a team-leading three hits, scoring three runs and adding an RBI. In addition to Koerner, six members of the Irish scored at least one run, five of them crossing the plate at least twice. Senior catcher Cassidy Whidden walked twice and added two runs. Freshman shortstop Morgan Reed paced the team in RBIs, knocking in four during the game after crushing a three-run home run to cap off a six-run third inning. The home run was Reed’s first of her career.
The Irish return to action Wednesday against Cleveland State for their Melissa Cook Stadium season opener. The first pitch is scheduled to be thrown at 4:30 p.m.
