DURHAM, NC – The Notre Dame Fighting Irish (30-24) fell to the top-seeded and top-ranked team in the country, Wake Forest (47-9) in the final game of pool play in the ACC Championship on Friday, May 26 at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Irish were led by Zack Prajzner and Estevan Moreno who finished the day with two hits a piece. While Prajzner tallied one two-bagger, Moreno recorded two doubles including an RBI double to put the Irish on the board in the top of the third.
Despite trailing 2-0 after the first two innings, the RBI double from Moreno would bring the Irish within one in the third frame. Notre Dame scored four straight runs on three RBI doubles through three consecutive innings to give themselves a two-run advantage over the Demon Deacons.
DM Jefferson recorded a 2-RBI double in the top of the fourth to score Brooks Coetzee and Vinny Martinez and give the Irish their first lead of the day at 3-2. Prajzner’s double to center field sent Moreno home in the top of the fifth as the Irish led 4-2 heading into the bottom frame.
The Demon Deacons would score on a solo home run, wild pitch, and an RBI single in the fifth to take the lead 5-4. After a scoreless sixth for both squads, Wake Forest tacked on another run in the bottom of the seventh to extend their lead 6-4.
Notre Dame wasn’t going anywhere yet, as Casey Kmet recorded an RBI single to center field to score Coetzee and bring the Irish within one yet again with a score of 6-5. The Demon Deacons responded with a run of their own as they recorded another solo shot to make it 7-5. Carter Putz would tally one last single in the top of the ninth, but the Irish offense was unable to even the score in the final frame.
Blake Hely started on the mound for Notre Dame as he pitched 3.1 innings, giving up two runs on six hits. He was relieved by Ryan Lynch, who tossed 0.2 innings before Jackson Dennies took the bump in the fifth. Dennies threw 2.1 innings, allowing three runs on three hits for the Demon Deacons. Will Mercer tossed the final 1.2 innings, giving up just one run on one hit. The staff gave up seven runs on 11 hits and recorded four strikeouts on the night.