SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Sophomore Erin Pronobis went 2-for-2 at the plate and junior Shannon Bustillos knocked in the lone Terrapin run as the Maryland softball team fell to No. 21 Notre Dame, 9-1, Monday night on ESPNU.

The Terps close out the season this weekend as they host Pittsburgh for a three-game series at the Maryland Softball Stadium.

Tasked with the challenge of facing stalwart pitcher Laura Winter, Kylie Datil and Candice Beards answered the call for Maryland with a pair of two-out hits in the top of the first inning. The Terps could not capitalize, however, and Notre Dame answered by opening a 1-0 lead on an Emilee Koerner homer to left field.

The second inning was much of the same for the Terrapins, who were unable to scrape a run after a pair of Juli Strange and Pronobis hits. The Irish answered again, tallying a pair of hits and earning successive walks to double their lead, 2-0.

Notre Dame's offensive prowess continued into the third and fourth innings, as it tallied four runs on six hits to open a 6-0 advantage. Micaela Arizmendi did the bulk of the damage with a two-run shot to left center field.

Maryland responded with some offensive fire of its own in the fifth, as Pronobis hit a stand-up double to right center and then advanced to third on an Amanda McCann sacrifice bunt. Bustillos then crushed a double to the right center gap to score Pronobis.

The Irish continued to press, however, tallying three more runs in the fifth to close the game, 9-1.

-Maryland-