Notre Dame extended its win streak to 14 games Tuesday evening, defeating Western Michigan, 10-2, in six innings at Melissa Cook Stadium.
The game was highlighted by Irish two-time All-American and senior outfielder Emilee Koerner’s milestone accomplishment, as Koerner became the all-time leading Notre Dame runs scorer on Tuesday evening.
Chris Collins | The Observer
Chris Collins | The Observer
The Irish (28-11, 10-5 ACC) outhit the Broncos (12-17, 4-2 MAC), 15-4, as nine Notre Dame batters recorded a hit in the contest.
Koerner recorded her 167th run scored in the bottom of the sixth inning on a walk-off RBI single by freshman Morgan Reed, which ended the game due to a run rule.
Sophomore outfielder Karley Wester and Reed each recorded a trio of hits for the Irish.
Sophomore pitcher Rachel Nasland earned her 15th victory on the season, pitching six innings for the Irish and giving up just two earned runs on four hits.
In addition to Tuesday night’s contest, the Irish saw action over the Easter break, sweeping conference opponent Pittsburgh in three games at the Petersen Sports Complex in Pittsburgh.
The victories marked the third straight ACC series the Irish have swept, as Notre Dame improved its conference record to 10-5 on the season.
Notre Dame outhit the Panthers, 30-7, over the course of the weekend, accounting for seven doubles and seven home runs.
Senior infielder Katey Haus accounted for three of those Irish home runs, as she improved her homerun count to 11 on the season.
Haus earned co-ACC Softball Player of the Week for her performance in the four Irish contests last week, all Notre Dame victories.
For the Pittsburgh series, junior outfielder Megan Sorlie and junior infielder Micaela Arizmendi led the Irish’s offensive attack, each notching six hits over the course of the weekend.
On Friday afternoon, the Irish beat the Panthers, 13-5, in the first game of a doubleheader, with Nasland winning her 13th game of the season. Nasland pitched six innings for the Irish, surrendering five runs on six hits.
Arizmendi and Wester each notched three hits in game one, and Wester added two RBIs to the stat sheet.
The Irish won Friday’s second game by a score of 14-0 in just five innings, recording 17 hits and four home runs on the afternoon.
Among the Irish who recorded homers on the afternoon were Wester, Haus, senior catcher Cassidy Whidden and Koerner.
Both Koerner and Whidden recorded a trio of hits for the Irish, with Koerner chipping in two RBIs and Whidden chipping in four.
Irish junior Allie Rhodes picked up the victory, her 11th of the season, giving up zero runs on just three hits in four innings.
In the final game of the series, the Irish defeated the Panthers, 3-2, in a tightly contested matchup, with Nasland earning her second victory of the weekend.
Nasland pitched five innings, giving up two runs, one of them earned, and striking out four Panthers’ hitters. Nasland won her eighth straight decision of the season and earned her 14th victory overall.
In the top of the fourth inning, Sorlie broke the 1-1 tie with a bases-loaded single that scored two Irish base runners, giving Notre Dame a 3-1 lead.
Although Pittsburgh scratched across one more run in the bottom half of the inning, Rhodes was able to shut down the Panthers’ offense in the bottom of the fifth and sixth to earn her first save of the season.
Notre Dame welcomes Butler to Melissa Cook Stadium tonight, with the first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m.
Notre Dame is 28-2 all time against Butler (15-19), winning the last 20 contests against the Bulldogs.
