CLEMSON, S.C. – The University of Notre Dame baseball team couldn’t get the offense going Saturday afternoon and dropped the middle game of the series to No. 12 Clemson 5-1.
The Tigers (14-4, 4-1 ACC) jumped out to a four-run lead in the second inning and it would be all they needed on the afternoon. The Irish (7-10, 3-2 ACC) could not get the bats going until the later innings but it was not enough to come all the way back.
How It Happened
Clemson opened up the scoring in the bottom of the second inning. They strung together a couple of hits and a few Irish miscues led to a 4-0 lead for the Tigers at the end of the second.
After recording 10 hits in the series opener, the Irish offense struggled to get going. Mat Clarke kept the Irish off balance at the plate and they were unable to a big inning going against him.
Outside of the second inning, Cameron Brown pitched well and kept the Irish in the game. He went a season-long seven innings and struck out six. It was his fourth straight start this season that he has recorded at least six strikeouts.
The Tigers went to their bullpen in the eighth and the Irish were able to get a couple of hits together. After a single from from Brooks Coetzee, a double from David LaManna and an Ethan Copeland walk, the Irish had the bases loaded for Jack Zyska.
He hit a sacrifice fly to right that scored Coetzee and the runners advanced a base due to an error on the throw. Daniel Jung came up with two runners in scoring position but he was unable to beat out the infield single and ended the inning.
Game Notes
- Junior Cameron Brown went a season-high seven innings against the Tigers.
- Brown totaled six strikeouts, his fourth-consecutive outing with six or more.
- Brooks Coetzee tallied his first career multi-hit game with two singles.
- Coetzee has recorded a hit in four straight games.
Up Next
The series will be on the line when the two teams take the field for the last time in the final game of the series Sunday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on the ACC Network Extra.
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–