DURHAM, N.C. – Drew Berkland got it done on both sides of the field to help lift the Notre Dame baseball team to a 2-0 win over Duke to capture the opening ACC series of the year.
Ty Uber retired the first eight batters he faced, including five strikeouts, through the opening two-plus innings of work before Duke recorded a single. Two batters later, Uber induced a flyout to right field as Jayce Lee made the catch to end the inning.
Uber continued to stay in command of the strike zone with a sixth K to open the fourth. Drew Berkland made a great diving catch in center field, and Lee collected a fly ball in right to force the Blue Devils into stranding a runner on first.
After Uber retired the side yet again in the bottom of the fifth, Drew Berkland led off the top of the sixth with an opposite-field solo home run to break the stalemate and put the Irish on the scoreboard.
The Irish got out of a jam in the bottom of the sixth when Berkland made a highlight-reel leaping catch at the wall to rob Duke from a three-run home run and keep the Blue Devils off the scoreboard.
In the top of the seventh, the Irish plated their second run of the contest. Mason Barth drilled a two-out double to get things started. Jamie Zee then drove the first pitch of his at-bat into the outfield to easily drive in Barth for a 2-0 lead. The Blue Devils loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, but Dylan Singleton induced a first-pitch pop up to Parker Brzustewicz to end the inning.
Duke loaded the bases in the bottom of the eighth with no one out. Eli Thurmond came on in relief and struck out the first batter he faced. Thurmond then induced an infield pop up and a flyout to Jayce Lee in right field to shut down the Blue Devils.
Duke put the tying run on base with two outs in the ninth, but Noah Rooney came in and struck out the lone batter he faced to close out the win and earn the save in the 2-0 final.
The Irish pitching staff and defense forced Duke into stranding 12 runners on base in the win.
Drew Berkland had a solo home run along with a pair of big defensive plays in center field to lead the Irish. Mason Barth had a double and scored a run, and Jamie Zee went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Davis Johnson, Mark Quatrani and Noah Coy each added a hit.
Ty Uber went 5.2 innings with a career-high eight strikeouts with zero runs allowed. Will Jaisle had an effective one-third of an inning on the bump by inducing the flyout to Berkland to end the threat. Dylan Singleton went one-plus with three strikeouts on the hill. Eli Thurmond went 1.2 innings with two strikeouts before Noah Rooney came in for the final out with a strikeout for a save to close out the win for the Irish.
Notre Dame (9-4, 2-1 ACC) takes a break from league play when they travel to Atrium Health Ballpark, home of the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers, to face Queens on Tuesday, March 10 at 6:00 p.m. ET.