SOUTH BEND, Ind. – No. 13 Duke softball (23-5, 8-2 ACC) battled through a nearly two-and-a-half-hour rain delay but dropped an 8-1 to decision to Notre Dame on Friday night at Melissa Cook Stadium.
The game was part of an initially scheduled doubleheader against the Fighting Irish (23-6, 5-2 ACC) with game two getting postponed following the conclusion of game one due to inclement weather.
The Fighting Irish were the first team on the board in the opening frame, as the reigning ACC Player of the Week Karina Gaskins hit a two-run home run to give them a 2-0 lead.
After the rain delay broke up the bottom of the second inning, Notre Dame would add four more runs when they returned, with Gaskins driving in two of them.
Duke was able to respond in the top of the third inning, with
Kamryn Jackson drawing a walk and
Ana Gold reaching on a hit-by-pitch.
Rachel Crabtree continued her scorching stretch with an RBI single, driving home Jackson and getting the Blue Devils on the board to make it a 6-1 game. However, Notre Dame was able to limit the damage that inning by throwing out Gold at home plate on a sacrifice opportunity.
Notre Dame added two more runs in the fourth inning to put the game away, as the Blue Devils were limited to only a handful of base runners against Fighting Irish starter Payton Tidd.
Blue Devils starter
Peyton St. George struck out four batters over 3.2 innings, before giving way to
Claire Davidson. Davidson turned in a sterling 2.1 innings pitched, striking out one and keeping the Irish off the basepaths for the remainder of the game.
The Blue Devils will be back in action tomorrow at 1 p.m., for the final scheduled game of the three-game series against the Fighting Irish.
Notes:
- Jameson Kavel extended her on-base streak to 12 consecutive games, setting her longest such streak this season.
- Crabtree continues her torrid stretch and is hitting .400 with two home runs and five RBI over her last four games.
- Crabtree also reached base for the eighth consecutive game, good for her longest streak of the season.
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