Irish Downed by Yellow Jackets

Box Score (PDF)

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame baseball team fell in an 18-7 (7 innings) final against Georgia Tech at Frank Eck Stadium on Friday night.

The Yellow Jackets took an early lead with a 3-0 advantage through the first half inning of play. Parker Brzustewicz continued to have the hot bat for the Irish and punched a single through the left side with two outs, but the freshman was unable to advance any further as the game rolled over to the second inning. Georgia Tech added a pair of runs in the top of the second  and three in the third to go up 8-0.

Jared Zimbardo got things going in the bottom of the third for the Irish with a hard-hit infield single, and Bino Watters punched a single through the right side of the infield to put a pair on base with one out. Zimbardo tagged up to third on a deep fly ball by Brzustewicz. Estevan Moreno laced a triple down the left field line to drive in both Zimbardo and Watters to get the Irish on the scoreboard and make it an 8-2 game through three.

The Yellow Jackets plated a pair in the top of the fourth, but Justin Mayes Jr. came in to chalk up back-to-back strikeouts to close the inning defensively. Noah Coy drilled a solo home run to straight-away center field for the Irish in the bottom of the inning to make it a 10-3 score.

Georgia Tech countered with three runs in the top half of the fifth to extend their lead. Xavier Hirsch and the Irish defense forced the Yellow Jackets into stranding a runner on third after a one-out triple in the top of the sixth. The Irish then posted three runs in the bottom of the inning. Estevan Moreno was hit by a pitch before Davis Johnson singled to left field. Carson Tinney hit a no-doubt-about-it home run over the left field wall to make it a 13-6 game.

The visiting side plated three runs in the top of the seventh to gain a 16-6 advantage. Bino Watters led off the bottom of the seventh with a solo home run the opposite way to keep the game alive as the Irish continued to fight. Georgia Tech, however, plated two runs in the top of the eighth to take an 18-7 decision on Friday night.

Jack Radel shouldered the loss on the mound after going 2.2 with a strikeout. Kellan Klosterman, Justin Mayes Jr., Xavier Hirsch, Sammy Cooper, and Jack Walker all combined to close out the game on the hill for the Irish. Cooper did not allow a hit in two-thirds of an inning, and Mayes struck out three.

Bino Watters went 2-for-4 with a home run, an RBI, and two runs scored. Carson Tinney had a three-run home run to drive in three and score a run. Noah Coy belted his first collegiate home run for the Irish. Estevan Moreno had a triple, drove in a pair, and scored once. Parker Brzustewicz collected a pair of hits on the night. Jared Zimbardo and Davis Johnson each added a hit and a run, and Nick DeMarco tallied a hit.

The Irish (12-7, 1-6 ACC) face off against the Yellow Jackets for game two of the series on Saturday starting at 2:00 p.m.