DELAND, Fla. — In front of a sold out crowd Saturday afternoon at Melching Field, the fourth-ranked Notre Dame baseball team used a big fourth inning to defeat Stetson 5-3. The Irish scored four runs in the inning to take a lead they would not relinquish the rest of the game.
John Michael Bertrand picked up his first win of the season after six innings of work against the Hatters. At the plate David LaManna led the way, going 2-for-4 with two RBI and scored a run. He had a two-RBI single in the four-run fourth inning for the Irish.
How It Happened
Stetson jumped out to an early lead after putting a run on the board in the bottom of the first. Nick DiPonzio singled to right to score Cameron Hill for the first run of the game.
The Irish got the score level in the top of the third inning. Zack Prajzner led the inning off with a single and advanced to second on an error. David LaManna singled through the left side to bring Prajzner over to third with no outs. Spencer Myers executed the sacrifice bunt down the first base line to score Prajzner and tie the game at 1-1.
Notre Dame took the lead in the fourth inning after putting four runs on the board. Brooks Coetzee III broke the tie as he scored from third on an error from the third baseman. With runners on second and third, LaManna cleared the bases with a two-RBI single. The final run of the inning came courtesy of Ryan Cole after he singled to center field and scored LaManna from second. After the top of the fourth concluded, the Irish held a 5-1 lead.
Bertrand did not miss a beat in his first start of 2022. After allowing an unearned run in the first inning, he settled in and did not allow the Hatters to gain any momentum at the plate. He pitched six innings of work with eight strikeouts and did not walk a batter in his outing.
Ryan McLinskey came on in relief of Bertrand in the seventh and set the Hatters down in order with two strikeouts in the inning. McLinskey tallied four more strikeouts in the eighth and ninth to pick up the save in his Irish debut.
Up Next
The Irish will conclude the Hatter Classic Sunday morning against Delaware. The Irish and Blue Hens are set to square off at 9 a.m. ET from Melching Field and the game will be broadcast on the Hatter Vision Youtube Channel.
—ND—