May 5, 2017
By Michael Scholl
NOTRE DAME, Indiana — Brad Bass delivered what may have been the best start of his career, but he was out-dueled by Brendan McKay as second-ranked Louisville took the opener of a three-game set Friday night, 2-0.
Bass went 7.2 innings, conceding a pair of hits and a pair of runs. The first came on a wind-aided homer to right in the fifth and the second was of the unearned variety in the eighth. Bass struck out six while throwing 122 pitches. The righty sliced his ERA from 4.57 to 3.89 with the outing.
McKay was just slightly better, holding the Irish to one hit in eight innings of work with eight strikeouts on 108 pitches. He threw a first-pitch strike to 24 of 29 batters faced. Lincoln Henzman got the save, striking out the side in the bottom of the ninth.
Jake Shepski had the lone hit for the Irish. Ryan Lidge walked twice to extend his on-base streak to 25 games.
Key Innings
Top Fifth
With one out in the fifth, Louisville plated the first run of the game with Devin Mann lifted a fly ball to right that carried just beyond the wall to make it 1-0. Bass responded with a groundout and strikeout to keep the score right there.
Bottom Fifth
The Irish had a chance to respond right away, but couldn’t get a run across. Power drew a one-out walk, then Jung hit a chopper to second which the Cardinal second baseman fielded, but dropped as he tried to tag Power. With first and second and one out, Power was then picked off by the catcher after Shepski failed to get a bunt down. Shepski then went down swinging to end the rally.
Top Eighth
The Cardinals picked up an insurance run in the eighth thanks to an Irish miscue. With two outs, Tyler Fitzgerald hit a dribbler down the first-base line. Bass came off the mound to field it, but his throw was wild and Fitzgerald reached. Peter Solomon entered the game for the Irish and walked Logan Taylor before Devin Hairston singled to right, scoring Fitzgerald. Solomon struck out McKay to end the frame with Louisville leading, 2-0.
On Deck
The Irish and Cardinals play game two of the series on Saturday at 4:05 p.m. It will be Notre Dame’s annual Strike Out ALS game. For more information, visit und.com/strikeoutALS.
— ND —
Michael Scholl joined Fighting Irish Media in August 2016, coordinating communications for the baseball program and assisting with the football team at his alma mater. The South Bend native earned a degree in political science from the College of Arts & Letters in 2009 before going on to work in athletics communications at Providence College, Vanderbilt and Cincinnati.