It may have taken nine innings to finish the job, but Notre Dame ultimately got the result they hoped for on Tuesday. They skirted past the Mercy Bears 5-3. The victory was familiar territory for Notre Dame who now have three in a row.
Avery Provenzano made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out ten batters over nine innings while giving up three earned runs off six hits (and only one walk). Provenzano has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in nine consecutive pitching appearances. Provenzano was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 3-for-5.
In other batting news, Notre Dame let Catherine Salas and Kamille Beals loose on the outfield. Salas scored two runs while going 3-for-5, while Beals scored a run and stole a base while going 3-for-5. Jaz Mina was another key contributor, going 3-for-5 with two RBI.
On Mercy's side, J Villavicencio spent all nine innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered five earned runs on 14 hits and racked up ten Ks. Those nine innings set a new season-high mark for her.
On the hitting side, G Ortega made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-4 with a home run and three RBI.
Notre Dame has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 12-6 record this season. As for Mercy, they dropped their record down to 7-9-1 with that loss, which was their third straight at home.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Notre Dame will take on King's Academy at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday. King's Academy is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.8 runs per game this season. As for Mercy, they will stay at home for another game and welcome Castilleja at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Mercy is facing Castilleja at the right time seeing as Castilleja is stuck on a six-game losing streak.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
