ELON, N.C. – The Elon University softball team fell to Notre Dame 16-3 in five innings on Tuesday evening, March 14, in a nonconference matchup at Hunt Softball Park.
 
The Fighting Irish improve to 14-7 on the season, while Elon dropped to 9-15 and saw its season-long four-game winning streak snapped.
 
AT THE PLATE
• The Phoenix was held to three total hits in the contest against the Fighting Irish. Megan Grant, Drew Menscer and Reagan Hartley each recorded a base knock for Elon. Grant also scored a run and drew a walk while Payton Swart drew a pair of walks and had the Phoenix's lone RBI of the game.
 
IN THE CIRCLE
• Meredith Wells (3-4) was tagged with the loss after pitching 3.0 innings with four runs and four hits allowed. She also walked two batters.
 
THE RUNDOWN
• Notre Dame opened the scoring in the top of the first. The Fighting Irish loaded the bases with no outs before Lexi Orozco took a 1-0 pitch over the wall in left center to put the Phoenix in an early 4-0 deficit.
• Elon had a chance to respond in the home half of the first. Grant and Menscer both reached to lead off the inning on a single and a walk, respectively, to give the maroon and gold runners on with no outs. Notre Dame however induced the next three outs to leave them stranded.
• The score would remain the same through the next two innings as Wells held the Fighting Irish scoreless in the second and third. Notre Dame then exploded for a nine-run fourth inning to put the game out of reach.
• The Phoenix answered with its first runs of the game in the bottom of the fourth. Swart led off the inning with a walk and later scored on an error by the shortstop with Mary Moss Wirt reaching on the play. Wirt advanced to second and later scored herself with the defense occupied with a rundown with Mauri Murray between first and second before the close of the inning.
• A three-run home run by the Fighting Irish in the top of the fifth added more insurance runs for Notre Dame. The Phoenix came back with another run in the bottom of the frame with Swart drawing a free pass with the bases loaded to plate the final tally of the game before Notre Dame closed out with the victory in its first-ever meeting against the Phoenix.
 
ON DECK
Elon returns to Colonial Athletic Association action, traveling to Monmouth for its first-ever league series against the Hawks this weekend, March 18-19. The series will stream on FloSoftball via a paid subscription.