April 10, 2016
By Russell Dorn
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Behind a homer and five RBI from All-American catcher Zach Collins, No. 2 Miami topped the University of Notre Dame baseball team, 10-2, Sunday afternoon in the lone game of a scheduled three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series at Frank Eck Stadium.
After inclement weather forced the cancellation of both Friday and Saturday’s games, the two teams battled through less than ideal conditions Sunday with temperatures in the upper 30’s and a steady rain that began a couple of innings into the game.
Miami (25-4, 11-2 ACC) scored a run in the first inning on a single followed by an Irish throwing error on a sacrifice bunt attempt.
An inning later, senior Ricky Sanchez, a Miami native, bashed his first homer of the year to tie the game at one.
It was all Collins from there, however, as he cracked a two-RBI double in the third inning before bashing a three-run homer in the sixth frame to up the Hurricane lead to 7-1. Collins finished with three hits, five RBI and three runs scored.
Notre Dame trimmed the lead to 7-2 in the seventh on a Jake Shepski RBI single up the middle.
Miami tacked on three runs in the ninth inning to give the game its final score.
Shepski finished the day with two hits, a walk and an RBI to lead the Irish. Freshman Nick Podkul had three walks in the designated hitter role. After missing about a month with a hand injury, junior third baseman Kyle Fiala tallied a hit, walk and run scored.
Sophomores Peter Solomon (3.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO), Sean Guenther (5.0 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 6 SO) and Evy Ruibal (0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO) pitched for Notre Dame. The six strikeouts was a career high for Guenther.
The Irish (16-12, 6-7 ACC) have a busy week coming up with midweek contests against Chicago State (6:05 p.m. ET Tuesday) and Valparaiso (6:05 p.m. ET Wednesday). Both contests are available on WatchND’s free video stream in addition to live stats.
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Russell Dorn, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since 2011 and coordinates all media efforts for the Notre Dame volleyball, rowing and baseball programs. A native of Greenwood, South Carolina, Dorn graduated from Furman University in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in history before earning his master’s degree in sports communications from Georgia State University in 2011.
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