SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Notre Dame (20-18, 5-16 ACC) dealt a combined no-hitter to earn a series sweep of Boston College (20-19, 7-14) with a dominant 13-0, seven-inning run-rule victory Sunday. In addition to the no-hitter, Irish bats were responsible for five home runs on the day, including two from INF Estevan Moreno.
The combined no-hitter marked Notre Dame’s first no-hitter (combined or solo) since Brian Piotrowicz on May 11, 1988 vs. Ball State (also seven innings).
The no-hitter was a result of a four-pitcher effort. Starting RHP Rory Fox was dealing through the first inning, posting two strikeouts. In the second, he took a hard-hit ball to the arm, completing the throw for the out, but had to leave the game due to injury. RHP Tobey McDonough (2-2) entered in relief, earning the win and going 3 ⅓ innings for two strikeouts. RHP Sammy Cooper pitched the sixth inning, posting a strikeout, while RHP Will Jacobsen pitched the seventh to lock it down, adding two strikeouts.
Notre Dame was hot at the plate, as six batters earned multi-hit games. Four hit home runs in the game; Moreno posted two, his third multi-home run game of the season, while INF Jack Penney, INF Simon Baumgardt and C Carson Tinney each hit one. Tinney’s long ball was a grand slam, the first of his career.
Sunday’s outing marked Notre Dame’s fourth game this season with five or more home runs.
With a series sweep of Boston College, Notre Dame earned its first ACC sweep since 2023 vs. No. 8 Virginia. It was also the first sweep for the Irish of Boston College since 2016 (4-1, 4-1, 11-9).
Penney led the Irish over the course of the series, batting .583 and going 7-for-12 with three doubles, a home run, six RBI and two walks.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Boston College took a HBP to lead off the game, but the Irish tagged the runner out on a fielder’s choice. After a Fox strikeout, a failed pickoff attempt error allowed the runner on to reach third, but Fox dealt another strikeout to end the inning and hold Boston College off the board.
The Irish kept up their hot first-inning streak, with Penney drawing a one-out walk. Moreno hit his first home run of the day to center field to score both, and Baumgardt immediately followed with a homer of his own to put the Irish up 3-0. OF Tito Flores added a double, but Notre Dame did not add to the score before the third out.
In the second inning, Fox and the Irish retired the first batter, and the second batter sent a hard-hit ball that hit Fox in the arm. Fox got the ball to first for the out, but left the game due to injury. McDonough entered to pitch and took a grounder to first for the unassisted out. DH Nick DeMarco led off the bottom of the second with a double, reaching third on a flyout. Penney put a fielder’s choice in the infield, but the Eagles could not make the throw home, and DeMarco scored. Moreno then stepped to the plate and hit his second homer of the day, another two-run shot, to put the Irish up 6-0.
After two outs in the third, the Irish allowed a walk, but Tinney and Penney caught a runner stealing to send the Irish to bat. Notre Dame was unable to add on in the third, as Tinney added a single and DeMarco walked. Both were left on base.
McDonough and the Irish sat Boston College down in order in the fourth, with McDonough adding a strikeout. Penney led off the bottom of the inning with a solo homer, and Moreno and Baumgardt followed with singles. Flores doubled, scoring Moreno, and after a foul-out, INF Connor Hincks walked to load the bases. Tinney then sent a grand slam out of the park, the first grand slam of his career, to put the Irish up 12-0. DeMarco doubled, and after a groundout, Penney went back to the plate as the Irish batted through the lineup. Penney sent a single to the outfield to score DeMarco, and the Irish ended the inning up 13-0.
Both sides went down in order in the fifth, as McDonough added another strikeout.
Cooper entered to pitch at the beginning of the sixth inning. After two walks, Boston College forced an error to load the bases. Cooper struck out the next batter, and Moreno covered significant ground to turn a double play to Hincks, preserving the shutout. The Irish bats sat down in order in the bottom of the inning.
Jacobsen entered to close out the game for the Irish, staring down a no-hitter if the Irish could get out of the inning unscathed. Jacobsen struck out the first batter, and the second batter grounded out straight to Jacobsen. The third batter struck out looking to give the Irish a combined no-hitter and completed series sweep.
UP NEXT
Notre Dame will remain at home for the week, hosting Central Michigan on April 24 at 6:30 p.m. ET before welcoming No. 12 Wake Forest for a weekend series. All games will be broadcast on ACCNX with the exception of April 27 vs. Wake Forest, which will be nationally broadcast on ACC Network.