SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame baseball team came up on the short end of a 7-6 final against No. 22 Boston College in the series rubber match on Sunday afternoon at Frank Eck Stadium.
Boston College claimed an early lead with two runs in the top of the first inning. Drew Berkland gave the Irish a spark with a lead-off home run in the bottom of the first to make it a 2-1 score.
The Eagles plated a run in both the top of the second and the third for 4-1 advantage.
Noah Rooney and the defense hung a zero on the scoreboard in the top of the fourth. Jayce Lee and Dylan Passo put together back-to-back singles, and Parker Brzustewicz went the other way with a right-field single to drive in Lee. Andrew Graham laced a single to left field to drive in Passo to cut the deficit to one at 4-3.
Rooney forced the Eagles into stranding a runner on third with a big two-out strikeout to end the top of the fifth. Bino Watters hit a lead-off double to right-center and moved to third on a wild pitch. Mark Quatrani then used a bouncing single up the middle to drive in Watters to tie the game at 4-4.
Boston College regained the lead in the top of the sixth with a run, but the Irish forced the Eagles into stranding the bases loaded, but the Irish responded in the bottom half of the frame. Andrew Graham hit a two-out single to right field, and Drew Berkland belted his second home run of the day to left-center field for a 6-5 Irish lead.
Will Jaisle posted back-to-back shutout innings on the mound in the seventh and the eighth for the Irish. The Eagles, however, used a two-run ninth inning to go ahead by the final 7-6 margin
Drew Berkland registered the first multi-home run effort of his career with two home runs while compiling three RBI on the afternoon. Bino Watters was 3-for-5 with a double and a run. Andrew Graham went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run, and Parker Brzustewicz went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Dylan Passo and Jayce Lee each had a hit and scored a run. Mark Quatrani posted a hit and drove in a run.
Dylan Singleton went 1.2 innings on the hill, and Noah Rooney posted 4.0 innings with six strikeouts for the Irish. Oisin Lee came on in relief, and Will Jaisle went 2.2 innings with two strikeouts while shouldering the decision. Eli Thurmond closed out the final two-thirds of an inning and had a strikeout.
The Irish (19-20, 8-16 ACC) continue their homestand with a midweek matchup against Central Michigan on Tuesday, April 28 starting at 5:30 p.m. ET.