WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Notre Dame baseball team battled to the final out but had their comeback effort stopped short in a 6-5 nail-biter at No. 15 Wake Forest on Saturday evening.
The Demon Deacons took advantage of the wind blowing out to right field in the bottom of the first with three solo home runs all to right field for a fast 3-0 lead.
Nick DeMarco flashed the leather on a hard-hit grounder to record the first out of the second inning, and Noah Coy collected a bouncer up the middle for the second out of the stanza. Jackson Dennies made quick work of the Wake Forest side by inducing an easy fly out to Jayce Lee in left field for a six-pitch inning defensively for the Irish.
DM Jefferson bounced a single past the Wake Forest first baseman with two outs in the top of the third for the Irish. Parker Brzustewicz then curled a single to shallow right-center field as Jefferson moved to third base on the play. Bino Watters hit a high-bouncing ball in the infield and beat out the play at first for an RBI single as Jefferson scored. A passed ball then allowed Brzustewicz and Watters to move up 90 feet to put a pair in scoring position, but the Irish were unable to push either across.
In the bottom of the third, Jayce Lee tracked down a fly out for the first out of the inning. DM Jefferson ran down a ball in the right-center gap at the warning track, and Jackson Dennies induced a two-out grounder to Estevan Moreno with runners on the corners to shut the door on the scoring chance for the Demon Deacons.
The Irish sat down the side in order in the fourth inning, and the defense stifled the Demon Deacons in the fifth as Jackson Dennies retired seven in-a-row to move the game to the sixth inning.
After the Irish hitters had a pair of chances earlier in the game cut down by the Demon Deacons’ outfielders, the Notre Dame bats got a bounce to go their way. Carson Tinney used the swirling wind to get a seeing-eye ball to drop in the outfield for a double with one out in the top of the sixth. While the Irish were unable to plate a run in the inning, that play provided a spark for the Notre Dame side.
Defensively, Tinney tracked down a pop up in foul territory to record the first out of the sixth, and DJ Helwig came on in relief for the Irish. With runners on first and second, DJ Helwig dialed up a big strikeout looking for the second out. The sophomore then shut the door on the Demon Deacons with a ground out to Nick DeMarco at third to end the inning.
The bottom of the seventh saw Wake Forest plate three runs with two outs before Ricky Reeth ended the frame with a strikeout.
Undeterred, the Irish responded right away in the top of the eighth. Carson Tinney was hit by a pitch before Brady Gumpf used a slow roller to leg out an infield single. Connor Hincks drew a full-count walk to load the bases with one out gone in the inning. Noah Coy hit a slow dribbler and beat out an infield single while forcing a throwing error to plate a pair and pull the Irish within 6-3 as Tinney and Gumpf both scored. Nick DeMarco drew a walk to again load the bases for Notre Dame. After a pitching change by Wake Forest, DM Jefferson used a fielder’s choice to drive in Hincks to make it a two-run game at 6-4.
The defense made quick work of the Demon Deacons with a seven-pitch, three-up, three-down stop in the bottom of the eighth.
Estevan Moreno hit a chopper up the third-base line for a single to bring the tying run up to bat. Carson Tinney then drew a walk to put a pair on base, and Davis Johnson came in to pinch run at first for Tinney. Brady Gumpf had his bat broken just above the grip, and Estevan Moreno beat out the play at third on the fielder’s choice attempt for the force out to load the bases. Another pitching change for the Demon Deacons set up a wild pitch, and Moreno slid head first into home to make it a one-run game. Wake Forest, however, induced an infield ground out for the force play at first to end the game by the 6-5 final score.
Jackson Dennies suffered the loss after he went 5.1 on the mound with three strikeouts. DJ Helwig struck out a pair over an inning and a third of work, and Ricky Reeth struck out one and allowed one hit with no runs over the final one-and-a-third of the game.
Noah Coy went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a walk. Parker Brzustewicz added a 2-for-4 effort, and Brady Gumpf went 2-for-5 and scored a run. Carson Tinney had a double and scored a run, and Bino Watters added a hit and an RBI. Estevan Moreno had a hit and scored a run for the Irish. Connor Hincks added a run in the contest.
The Irish (8-3, 0-2 ACC) close out the series at Wake Forest on Sunday with a 1:00 p.m. ET contest against the Demon Deacons.