Feb. 22, 2015
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — It was four up and four down for the University of Notre Dame baseball team this weekend at Nelson W. Wolff Stadium, as the Irish finished off a perfect 4-0 weekend with a convincing 11-1 victory over Incarnate Word Sunday afternoon.
Junior pitcher Nick McCarty (2-0) delivered a gem of a performance, as the Westfield, Indiana native went seven innings and allowed one run on four hits while walking none. He tied his career high with six strikeouts and only needed 65 pitches to work through his seven innings. In two starts this season, McCarty boasts a 0.61 ERA in 14.2 innings of work. He has allowed two runs (1 ER) on eight hits, three walks and one hit by pitch and has struck out seven batters.
At the dish, Notre Dame scored two or more runs in three innings to up its multi-run innings this year to 20. The Irish also outscored their opponents, 40-6, in four games.
Four student-athletes recorded multi-hit days, including leadoff hitter Jake Johnson, who cracked three singles in his first three at-bats and scored two runs to up his on-base percentage to .541 on the year.
Elsewhere, sophomore Cavan Biggio had a pair of hits, a double, two walks, an RBI and two runs scored, while senior designated hitter Ryan Bull totaled two hits, a game-high three RBI and a run scored in his first start of the season.
“It was good to get my feet wet again and get back out there and help the guys come away with a win,” said Bull. “It’s something I’ve learned throughout my four years in the program with added emphasis this year of being in the present moment and playing pitch to pitch. I feel like our team has really grasped that.
“We put a major emphasis on working the counts and playing pitch to pitch in this offseason and we continue to do that. Today was our pillar `toughness Sunday’ so this idea of continuing to be tough in our at-bats and fouling off pitches, because you don’t know if that seven-, eight- or nine-pitch at-bat you have in the first three innings could potentially get that starting pitcher out of the game early so we can get to their bullpen.”
Sophomore catcher Ryan Lidge notched a two-RBI single, junior shortstop Lane Richards totaled two hits, an RBI, a walk and a run scored and pinch hitter Conor Biggio had a two-RBI triple in the seventh inning to provide the Irish their final two runs of the weekend.
As has been the case for much of the season, the Irish jumped in front early with four runs over the first four innings before the Cardinals could crack the scoreboard.
In the first inning, Bull had a two-RBI single after Johnson singled and Ca. Biggio doubled to left center and in the second Biggio had an RBI single of his own, as he scored Johnson from second base. In the fourth, Richards scored on a Cardinal wild pitch after doubling to left center to open the inning.
Freshmen Brad Bass and Evy Ruibal relieved McCarty and combined to give up just one hit while striking out three in two innings of work.
UIW pitcher Kris Looper suffered the loss after giving up four runs on seven hits in 3.2 innings of work.
Through two weekends, the Irish are tied with No. 1 Virginia (7-0) for the most wins in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Notre Dame (7-1) heads to Cary, North Carolina next weekend for the third annual USA Baseball-Irish Classic. The Irish will meet East Carolina, Seattle and Penn State from Friday through Sunday.
–Russell Dorn, Assistant Media Relations Director
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