Irish roundup: Men's lacrosse starts 2-0; Stiffler notches first win as baseball coach

As Notre Dame's basketball and hockey teams finish up their regular seasons, Irish spring sports are already in full swing.

The men's lacrosse team began its season ranked fifth in the country and have moved up to No. 2 just two weeks into the season. And in Nashville, Tenn. this past weekend, the Shawn Stiffler baseball era began against Lipscomb as the new head coach earned his first Irish win during the three-game series.

The softball and women's lacrosse teams also began their seasons in what they hope will be return visits to their respective NCAA tournaments.

Preview:Notre Dame baseball's Shawn Stiffler is done being the 'new guy.' Now it's time to win

Here is a rundown of Notre Dame spring sports so far this season:

Notre Dame men's lacrosse off to 2-0 start

The second-ranked Irish beat Marquette, 21-10, and Cleveland State, 18-8 last week.

Chris Kavanagh scored five goals against the Golden Eagles and four against the Vikings. Jeffery Ricciardelli also scored five goals against Marquette.

Eric Dobson and Quinn McCahon each recorded hat tricks against Cleveland State.

The Irish return to action on Feb. 25 at No. 8 Georgetown.

Notre Dame baseball drops two at Lipscomb

The Irish dropped two of their opening three games at Lipscomb this past weekend, falling 5-4 on Friday and 4-2 on Saturday. Notre Dame (1-2) beat the Bison 8-4 on Saturday.

The Irish combined for just five hits in their two losses.

TJ Williams, Jack Penney and Jack Zyska each had two-RBI games during the series, while Aidan Tyrell recorded the win Saturday, pitching four innings of one-run baseball in relief.

The Irish return to action Feb. 24 for a three-game series at UNC-Greensboro.

Click here for full Notre Dame baseball schedule.

Women's lacrosse dominates in two wins

The Irish beat San Diego State, 18-2, in their season-opener Feb. 10, dropped a road game, 18-14, to Northwestern on Feb. 16 then capped this past weekend with a 24-5 home victory over Central Michigan.

Kasey Choma scored 12 goals in the three games, including a team-high six vs. Northwestern. Jackie Wolak added nine goals and Madison Ahern seven so far.

The Irish open ACC play Feb. 25 vs. Clemson.

Softball team cools after hot start

Since opening the season 4-1 in the San Diego State Season Kickoff, the Notre Dame softball team has dropped three of its past four games in the Big Ten/ACC challenge, splitting with Ohio State and falling twice to Northwestern.

After opening their four-game slate in Clemson, S.C. with a 7-2 win over Ohio State, the Irish dropped two games against Northwestern (2-0, 10-3) as well as a nine-inning rematch won by the Buckeyes (6-5).

Through nine games, Jane Kronenberger leads Notre Dame (5-4) with 13 hits and a .419 batting average. Carli Kloss and Lexi Orozco each have seven RBI and two home runs, while Payton Tidd has a 2.62 ERA on a team-high 26 2/3 innings pitched.

The Irish head to Madeira Beach, Fla. this weekend for six games, two on Feb. 24 against Oakland and UT-Martin, two on Feb. 25 against Florida International and Siena and two on Feb. 26 against FIU and Dartmouth.