Kind of hurts
Notre Dame got a surprising win over the Florida State Seminoles on Friday, but no such luck on Sunday when the teams were forced to play a doubleheader after some gorgeous South Bend weather. The Irish lost both games on Sunday, dropping their record to 14-11 on the season.
From the ND press release:
Irish Fall in Twinbill Effort Against No. 4 Seminoles
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame baseball team played tough in both ends of a doubleheader against No. Florida State but came up shy in a 4-2 (7 innings) game one and a 17-9 battle in game two.
The Irish struck first in the opener, which was scheduled for seven innings. Jared Zimbardo led off the bottom of the first with a single. Parker Brzustewicz drew a walk, and Bino Watters and Carson Tinney were each hit by a pitch to plate Zimbardo for the quick 1-0 lead.
The Seminoles plated an unearned run in the top of the second, but the Irish regained the momentum in the bottom half of the inning. Jayce Lee drilled a one-out solo home run over the right field wall for a 2-1 Notre Dame lead. The defense, meanwhile, forced Florida State into stranding a runner in the top of the third.
Florida State pushed a pair of runs across in the top of the fourth to gain a 3-2 lead. The top of the fifth inning saw Jayce Lee make a leaping catch at the wall to snag a ball at the top of the fence and shut out the Seminoles in the frame.
Jared Zimbardo drew a walk in the fifth, and Bino Watters hit a lead-off single in the sixth. Both innings, however, ended without a run for the Irish. The Seminoles added a run in the top of the seventh for a 4-2 advantage, and the opener ended by that same score as Notre Dame was unable to get the last-inning rally going.
Rory Fox went 6.0 on the mound with five strikeouts and allowed just one hit while suffering the loss. Oisin Lee went 1.0 with two strikeouts.
Jayce Lee was 1-for-3 with a home run for the Irish. Jared Zimbardo was 1-for-2 with a hit, a run, and a walk. Bino Watters and Estevan Moreno each had a hit, and Carson Tinney had an RBI for the home side.
Game two saw Florida State take a 14-0 lead through two-and-a-half innings of play. The Irish fought their way back into contention. The bottom of the third started off with Jayce Lee drawing a walk and Jared Zimbardo dropping a single into center field. A fly ball by Parker Brzustewicz moved Lee into scoring position with runners on the corners. Bino Watters drilled a single off of the pitcher to plate Lee, and Estevan Moreno belted a single off the wall in left field to drive in Zimbardo. Davis Johnson drew a walk to load the bases, and Connor Hincks worked the count before earning a walk to score Watters.
The Seminoles put a run in the scoring column in both the fourth and fifth, but the Irish countered with a big five-run sixth inning. Keenan Mork struck out a pair in the top half of the sixth to get a three-up, three-down effort defensively. On the offensive end, Nick DeMarco got things going with a lead-off walk. Jayce Lee tripled to center field to drive in DeMarco. Two batters later, Parker Brzustewicz laced a single to center field as Lee scored on the play. Bino Watters went the other way with a two-run home run for a big spark. Estevan Moreno punched a single up the middle and ultimately got to third after a ground out and a wild pitch. Noah Coy added a single to right field to drive in Moreno with two outs gone for the fifth run of the inning.
A three-up, three-down effort by Justin Mayes Jr. in the top of the seventh included a pair of strikeouts as the Irish quickly got back up to bat. Jayce Lee started off the inning by reaching on an error, and Parker Brzustewicz drove in Lee with a fielder’s choice two batters later to make it a 16-9 game.
Clark Gilmore made his Notre Dame debut in the top of the eighth and retired a pair of batters before Brady Koester induced a come-back grounder to force the Seminoles into stranding a pair of runners on base. The Irish had a chance to add to the scoring column in the bottom of the eighth after Brady Gumpf drilled a double down the left field line, but a line drive snag ended the scoring chance. Florida State added a run in the top of the ninth. The Irish continued to battle down the stretch. Jared Zimbardo drew a walk, and Parker Brzustewicz pushed a single into right field to put a pair on base. The duo both advanced on a wild pitch to get into scoring position, but back-to-back outs ended the game by the 17-9 final score.
Dylan Heine shouldered the pitching loss for the Irish. Heine, DJ Helwig, Keenan Mork, Justin Mayes Jr., and Brady Koester each recorded two strikeouts on the mound.
Bino Watters was 2-for-6 with a home run, three RBI, and two runs scored at the dish in game two. Parker Brzustewicz added a 2-for-5 effort with two RBI, a walk, and a run. Estevan Moreno and Brady Gumpf each had a pair of hits. Moreno picked up an RBI and a run, and Gumpf had a double for the Irish. Jayce Lee had a triple, scored three runs, and drove in one. Nick DeMarco tallied a hit and scored a run. Noah Coy and Jared Zimbardo each posted a hit. Coy drove in a run, and Zimbardo scored once.
The Irish (14-11) take a break from ACC play as they host a pair of mid-week contests. Notre Dame faces Western Michigan on Tuesday, April 1 before Eastern Michigan visits Frank Eck Stadium on Wednesday, April 2. Both games are slated to start at 5:00 p.m. ET. Admission is free for all home Notre Dame baseball regular season contests.