NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame baseball team picked up another series opening win when it knocked off Virginia 5-2 Friday night at Frank Eck Stadium. The Irish (12-15, 7-6 ACC) are 4-1 in ACC openers this season.
Tommy Sheehan was outstanding on the mound for the Irish and kept the Cavaliers (17-13, 6-7 ACC) at bay all night long. He went the distance Friday night, allowing just one earned run for his second complete game of the season. He is the first Irish pitcher to have two complete games in a season since Michael Hearne in 2016.
Listen in as @TommySheehan_ talks about his second complete game of the season ☘️#GoIrish #PassTheShillelagh pic.twitter.com/GeF5ZCRE67
— Notre Dame Baseball (@NDBaseball) April 6, 2019
How It Happened
The Irish jumped out in front in the bottom of the second. The first three batters of the inning reached base and Jake Singer stepped to the plate. He grounded out to the third baseman but Niko Kavadas came home to score the game’s first run.
The very next inning, Kavadas helped the Irish extend their lead. He hit a rocket off the wall in right to score Spencer Myers and survived the rundown between first and second so Jack Zyska could score on the play as well.
The Irish kept pressure up in the bottom of the fourth as Singer worked a lead-off walk and advanced two bases on wild pitches. David LaManna lifted a 3-2 breaking ball into left center for a single to score Singer on the play. Later in the inning, Jack Zyska hit a sacrifice fly to right that scored David LaManna and extended the Irish lead to 5-0.
The five runs were more than enough for Sheehan, as he cruised through the early innings against the Cavaliers. One unearned run was the only blemish for Sheehan through the first seven innings until he ran into trouble in the eighth.
The Cavaliers plated one run in the inning and had runners on the corners with nobody out. Sheehan induced a foul pop up that Kavadas ran down and made a siding catch over his shoulder. He immediately turned around and fired a throw home that got the runner out trying to score from third.
The sophomore lefty settled down after that play, setting down the final four Cavaliers in order to end the game.
Game Notes
- Tommy Sheehan notched his second complete game of the season against the Cavaliers.
- Sheehan is the lone pitcher in the ACC with two complete games this season.
- He is the first Irish pitcher to have two complete games in a season since Michael Hearne had two during the 2016 campaign.
- Notre Dame improves to 4-1 in ACC openers this season.
- Niko Kavadas tallied two RBI for the third consecutive game Friday against the Cavaliers. Kavadas has 26 RBI on the year which is second on the team behind Eric Gilgenbach.
- David LaManna set a career high with three hits after going 3-for-3 at the plate with a run and a RBI.
- Spencer Myers also recorded three hits on the night, tying his career high for hits.
Up Next
The series will continue with game two Saturday afternoon at Frank Eck Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 2 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–