Gold’s Two Home Runs Lifts No. 12 Duke Past Notre Dame, 6-2

Saturday, March 4

Durham, N.C.

2 p.m.

Duke University

16-4, 0

Notre Dame

11-5, 0

Notre Dame

Duke

Gold’s Two Home Runs Lifts No. 12 Duke Past Notre Dame, 6-2

3/4/2023 9:56:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

DURHAM – Sophomore Ana Gold helped lift No. 12 Duke softball past Notre Dame, 6-2, on Saturday during the second game of the weekend series at Duke Softball Stadium.

The Ballston Spa, N.Y., native blasted a two-RBI home run on consecutive at bats and scored another run late in the game to account for five of Duke's final six runs. She now leads the team with four long balls, 24 runs and 20 RBI on the year.

The Blue Devils (16-4) bounced back from a 5-4 loss to the Fighting Irish (11-5) on Friday to tie the series up at 1-1. The rubber match is set for Sunday at noon at Duke Softball Stadium and will be the Blue Devils' breast cancer awareness game.

Pitcher Cassidy Curd picked up her first conference win and sixth victory of the season after allowing just two runs on four hits in 5.0 innings. The freshman struck out five during her time in the circle, including four-straight to begin the game.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Senior Gisele Tapia opened the scoring with an RBI-triple in the bottom of the first inning to score graduate student Deja Davis, who reached on a lead-off single to begin the frame. Davis advanced to second on her fourth stolen base of the year before Tapia brought her home.
The Blue Devils added two more runs in the second after sophomore Ana Gold drove a long ball over the left field fence to bring in junior Sarah Goddard who was hit by a pitch to kick off the inning.
Gold sent another two-run blast over the center field wall during her next at-bat to further extend the Blue Devils' lead to 5-0 after the third. Her hit also scored Kelly Torres, who led off the frame with a double.
Curd was stout in the circle, holding the Fighting Irish to 3.1 innings of hitless softball before the visitors posted their first hit and run in the fourth following an RBI-single up the middle from Joley Mitchell.
Notre Dame struck again in the sixth inning with a solo home run off the bat of Karna Gaskins to register what would be its final run.
Gold crossed home plate one more time in the bottom of the sixth to round out the Blue Devils' six runs.
Junior Jala Wright came in for relief in the top of the sixth and earned her second save of the season. The Charlotte, N.C., native struck out two and only gave up on one hit during her 2.0 innings of work.

NOTES

Gold became the seventh Blue Devil in program history to score two home runs in a single game, joining Kelly Torres on Feb. 16, Jameson Kavel in 2022, Kristina Foreman in 2021, Kamryn Jackson and Caroline Jacobsen in 2020 and Raine Wilson in 2019.
Curd is currently fourth in the ACC for lowest earned run average and leads all freshman with a 0.98 ERA.
Tapia tallied her first triple of the year and the Blue Devils' fifth as a team.

UP NEXT
The final game of the series is set for noon on Sunday at Duke Softball Stadium. The contest will mark Duke's breast cancer awareness game.

To stay up to date with Blue Devils softball, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeSOFTBALL".

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