SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The 13th-ranked Notre Dame baseball team got back on track with an 11-2 win over Northern Illinois Tuesday afternoon at Frank Eck Stadium.
The Irish plated double-figure runs for the eighth time this season and were active on the base paths. They had seven total team steals, the most in a game since March 2, 2020, when they had seven against Presbyterian. Zack Prajzner led the way at the plate with a team-high three hits and three runs. Ryan Cole set a career-high with three steals for the game.
It was a staff day on the mound as five different pitchers saw action for the Irish. The staff limited the Huskies to two runs, the ninth time this season they have given up two runs or less.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Irish got off to a fast start after they put up the game’s first run in the bottom of the first. Jared Miller took an 0-1 pitch clear over the wall in left for his first home run of the season. It was the 13th game this season the Irish scored first and they held a 1-0 lead after the first inning.
Notre Dame added to its lead in the second as four runs came across in the inning. Prajzner got the scoring started in the inning with a single through the right side to score a run. TJ Williams added a run after his double to left field scored David LaManna. Prajzner scored on a passed ball for the third run of the inning and Williams scored on a ground out from Miller. After two full innings, Notre Dame held a 5-0 lead.
Northern Illinois got two runs back in the top of the third to make it a three-run ballgame. The Irish got one of those runs back in the bottom of the fourth when Prajzner scored his second run of the game, this time on a wild pitch. After four innings, the Irish led 6-2.
Freshman Roman Kimball was extremely effective for the Irish on the mound. He was the first out of the bullpen and pitched 2.1 innings of relief. He allowed just one hit while tallying a career-high four strikeouts. He struck out three batters in a row between the fourth and fifth inning and earned his first win of his collegiate career.
The Irish broke the game open in the sixth inning with five runs coming across in the frame. Prajzner drove in a run on a single to right and had another run score on the play on an error by the right fielder. Prajzner scored his third run of the game after Brannigan got hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Williams scored in the inning on a fielder’s choice by Carter Putz and Joey Spence drove in a run on a sacrifice fly to left field. After the inning was complete, Notre Dame held an 11-2 advantage.
Fellow freshman Jack Findlay was also strong out of the bullpen for the Irish. He also tossed 2.1 innings of work and did not allow a single batter to reach base.
UP NEXT
The Irish are off for another ACC road series as they head south to Tallahassee. The Irish are set to face the fifth-ranked Seminoles for a three-game series starting on Friday night. The series opener is set for a 7 p.m. ET first pitch from Dick Howser Stadium and the game will be streamed on ACC Network Extra.
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