April 16, 2011
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NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Senior RHP Cole Johnson allowed just one earned run on 6.1 innings of work and junior RHP Will Hudgins tossed 2.2 scoreless innings of relief to lead Notre Dame past West Virginia, 5-2, in the second game of a day-night doubleheader on Friday at Frank Eck Stadium. The Mountaineers took the opener, 6-4, in 10 innings. The Irish improved to 14-17-1 overall and 5-6 in the BIG EAST, while West Virginia dropped to 21-15 and 7-4.
The game was halted by rain for a total of two hours and two minutes over three separate rain delays.
Johnson improved to 3-5 on the year with the victory. He limited the Mountaineers to just two runs, one earned, on four hits in 6.1 innings. Johnson struck out six and walked two. He collected his seventh quality start of 2011.
Corey Walter dropped to 2-3 with the loss. He allowed three runs, two earned, on four hits in 7.0 innings of relief. Walter fanned four and walked three. He actually tossed 121 pitches in the relief outing.
Johnson issued a leadoff walk in the first inning, but proceeded to register back-to-back strikeouts before a catcher’s interference put two West Virginia runners on base. Jeremy Gum followed with a two-run double to give the Mountaineers a 2-0 lead.
The Irish quickly answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning. Sophomore 2B Frank DeSico opened the frame with a single and promptly stole second. After senior 3B Greg Sherry lined out, freshman CF Eric Jagielo followed with a walk. DeSico and Jagielo then both took off on a double steal to put runners on second and third with one out.
West Virginia starting pitcher Harrison Musgrave followed with a wild pitch. DeSico raced home easily and Jagielo sprinted to third and kept on running. Jagielo noticed that Musgrave failed to cover home. He eventually scored all the way from second base on the wild pitch.
The game remained knotted, 2-2, until the bottom of the third inning. Notre Dame grabbed a 3-2 lead thanks to a West Virginia error. With two down and Jagielo on third base, sophomore DH Adam Norton hit a fly ball to the warning track, but Mountaineer left fielder T.J. Kuban dropped the ball, which allowed Jagielo to score.
Senior SS Mick Doyle added an RBI single and junior LF Alex Robinson chipped in with an RBI double in the sixth inning to extend the Irish lead to 5-2.
Johnson and Hudgins did the rest. The duo blanked West Virginia over the final 8.1 innings.
Hudgins collected his second save of the season. He struck out three and walked none in 2.2 scoreless innings. Hudgins yielded just one hit.
Musgrave was charged with two runs, both earned, on two hits in 0.2 innings. He walked one. Musgrave did not return to pitch following the 53-minute rain delay.
Fifth-year senior RF Herman Petzold went 2-for-4 with a run scored. Robinson went 2-for-3 with an RBI double.
Notre Dame and West Virginia return to action at 4:05 p.m. on Saturday at Frank Eck Stadium. The game will broadcasted live on WHME Harvest 103.1 FM and will be available online at UND.com. Live stats will also be available on GameTracker.
As always, please visit UND.com regularly for full coverage of all Notre Dame athletics news and events.
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