TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The 13th-ranked Notre Dame baseball team (16-5, 5-4 ACC) finished off the series sweep with a 9-7 win over No. 5 Florida State (16-11, 6-6 ACC) Sunday afternoon at Dick Howser Stadium. It is Notre Dame’s first series sweep over a Top-10 team since 2015. It is also the first-ever series sweep for the Irish in Tallahassee in program history.
The Irish offense started early and often as they scored three runs in the opening frame. They scored multiple runs in four different innings on the afternoon. The Irish bullpen did the rest as they pitched over eight innings of relief and only allowed three earned runs. Aidan Tyrell got the win with a team-high 4.2 innings pitched. Jack Brannigan picked up his first save of the season after getting the final five outs of the game.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Unlike the first two games of the series, both teams got on the scoreboard in the first inning. The Irish got two runners on with two out and Ryan Cole smashed his second home run of the weekend. His three-run blast off the scoreboard was his third home run of the season and put the Irish up 3-0.
The lead did not last long as the Seminoles tied the game in the bottom of the first. They scored three runs in the bottom half of the inning and the score was tied 3-3 after the first frame.
Notre Dame regained the lead in the third and the long ball was key once again. With a runner in scoring position and two outs, Carter Putz hit his second home of the weekend over the wall in right. His fourth home run of the season gave the Irish a 5-3 advantage.
Florida State got a run back in the fourth and had the tying-run at third base. Jack Brannigan made a diving stop to his left and got the throw over to Putz for the final out of the inning. After four, the Irish led 5-4.
The Irish got some insurance runs in the top of the sixth. Nick Juaire singled to right and Cole advanced to third on the play. The Seminoles threw the ball into third and it deflected off Cole and into their dugout. Cole was awarded home and Juaire ended up on third. Juaire scored on the next play as Brooks Coetzee III hit a sacrifice fly to left. After the sixth inning, the Irish held a 7-4 lead.
Notre Dame went to the bullpen early on Sunday but had strong outings from a number of relievers. Tyrell went the longest of the group, pitching 4.2 innings without allowing an earned run. Jackson Dennies was next and he retired the first three batters he faced in the sixth inning.
Alex Rao entered the game and the tying run reached the plate in the bottom of the seventh. He struck out Alex Toral and induced a ground out from Brett Roberts to end the inning and the threat.
The Irish scored two more in the top of the eighth. Coetzee III tallied his second RBI of the game as Putz scored on the ground out. Later in the inning, David LaManna doubled down the left field line and scored Ryan Cole with his third run of the day.
The Seminoles mounted a rally in the bottom of the eighth after scoring three runs and had the go-ahead run at the plate in Toral. Brannigan moved over to the mound and got the final two outs of the inning to keep the Irish ahead, 9-7.
UP NEXT
The Irish will return to campus and open up a five-game homestand starting on Tuesday afternoon. The Irish welcome Butler to Frank Eck Stadium for a midweek matchup. First pitch is set for 5 p.m. ET and will be streamed on the ACC Network Extra. Admission is free for all fans during the regular season at Frank Eck Stadium this season.
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