DURHAM, N.C. — The No. 4 Notre Dame baseball team’s (21-6, 8-5 ACC) nine-game win streak came to an end on Thursday afternoon, as the Irish fell to Duke by a score of 15-5 at Jack Coombs Field in the first of a three-game series.
Spencer Myers did the majority of the damage at the plate for the Irish, driving in a team-high three runs after going 2-for-5 at the plate. Jack Brannigan and Danny Neri each drove in one run on the day. Brooks Coetzee III scored twice in the series opener.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Duke struck first, scoring three in the bottom of the first and then plated another run in the second to take an early 4-0 lead. The Blue Devil bats stayed hot, tacking on two more in the third to increase the advantage to 6-0.
The Irish bats came to life in the top of the fifth, as Neri drove in the first run of the day with a single through the left side to drive in Jack Zyska. After a Zack Prajzner walk loaded the bases, Myers lined an RBI single through the right side to plate Neri and Coetzee. Jack Brannigan drove in the fourth run of the frame on a fielder’s choice to cut the host’s lead to just two at 6-4.
The Blue Devils responded in the bottom of the sixth, managing to put two runners across home plate to push their lead to 8-4.
Myers drove in his third run of the day on a sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh to make it an 8-5 game but Duke scored seven in the bottom of the eighth to secure the 15-5 win.
UP NEXT
Game two of the series is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET on Friday, April 15. The game will be streamed on ACC Network Extra.
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