SAN ANTONIO, Texas — The University of Notre Dame baseball team dropped its final game of the Alamo Irish Classic 15-7 to Incarnate Word Saturday afternoon at Nelson Wolff Stadium.
The Cardinals raced out to a six run lead after a six-run top of the first. The Irish fought back during the middle innings but were unable to overcome the early deficit.
How It Happened
Incarnate Word jumped out to an early lead Saturday afternoon with a six spot in the first inning. Taylor Smith hit a three-run homer, the first home run by any team in the first five games of the Alamo Irish Classic.
Notre Dame got a run back in the bottom half of the fourth. Daniel Jung got on to begin the inning after getting hit by a pitch. Carter Putz was up next and he hit a single to center field to set Eric Gilgenbach up with two runners on and just one out. The senior captain was all over a pitch and hit a liner right down the third base line for a double to score Jung.
Gilgenbach recorded another RBI in the bottom of the sixth. He hit a double into right center and Jung came around again to score for the Irish. Notre Dame tacked on two more runs in the inning on a sacrifice fly and a wild pitch that got stuck in the catchers mask which allowed the runners to advance.
The Irish scored three more runs in the eighth inning thanks to the heart of their lineup. Niko Kavadas doubled into the gap in left center to score Putz and get the inning going. In the next at bat, Gilgenbach crushed a two-run blast over the fence in left for his third and fourth RBI of the afternoon and second home run of the season.
Game Notes
- Daniel Jung extends his hitting streak to seven games to begin the season after a single to right field in the sixth inning.
- Eric Gilgenbach was 3-for-3 at the plate with a two-run home run and 4 RBI. It is his most RBI in a game since he had five against Northwestern on May 15, 2018.
- Carter Putz went 3-for-4 from the plate with two runs scored. He is 6-for-8 in his last three games.
- Aidan Tyrell earned his first career start on the mound Saturday against the Cardinals.
- Jack Zyska also earned his first career start in left field.
- Mitch Megias made his first collegiate appearance in relief in the eighth inning.
- Brooks Coetzee also made his first collegiate appearance as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning.
Up Next
Notre Dame will travel to Charleston, S.C. for the 2019 Swig & Swine Classic. The Irish will face off with Charleston Southern (3/1-3/2) and Ball State (3/2-3/3) twice over the course of the three-day tournament. Three of the four Irish games will be played at Shipyard Park while the fourth will be played on campus at CSU Ballpark.
For a behind-the-scenes look at the Irish baseball program, follow @NDBaseball on Twitter and @NotreDameBaseball on Instagram. For tickets to an Irish baseball game, click here.
–ND–