March 13, 2018
By Megan Golden
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — The University of Notre Dame baseball team fell 10-8 in a down-to-the-wire battle with Saint Joseph’s in the Snowbird Classic on Tuesday.
Notre Dame (7-7) came from behind to tie the game at eight runs apiece in the eighth but could not keep the Hawks (5-7) off base in the ninth inning at North Charlotte Regional Park.
How It Happened
Notre Dame trailed the Hawks 4-0 after the second inning, when Saint Joseph’s connected for five straight hits, including a bases-clearing triple.
Andrew Belcik relieved Cameron Brown in the middle of the fourth inning and worked 2.0 innings. Belcik, who struck out the first batter he faced, finished with a pair of strikeouts on the day.
Alex Kerschner, who had the game-winning hit in the Miami series finale, belted a triple down the left field line in the fourth to get Notre Dame on the board. Kerschner’s three-base hit drove in Spencer Myers to cut the deficit to 4-1. David LaManna reached base on an error to extend the Irish rally and bring home Kerschner, making the score 4-2.
Saint Joseph’s Charlie Concannon doubled in the sixth and eventually scored on a wild pitch. Belcik then issued a walk to Dominic Cuoci, who scored on Kadar Namey’s double in the next at-bat. The double put the Hawks up, 6-2.
Nick Podkul extended his on-base streak to 20 games with a double to left center in the sixth inning. With nobody out in the inning, Matt Vierling stepped in and drilled his first homer of the season to right center to cut Saint Joseph’s lead to 6-4.
A single and two errors in the top of the seventh helped the Hawks add a run on a passed ball.
The Irish responded in the bottom half of the frame, which began with a leadoff single from Niko Kavadas. Ryan Cole pinch ran for Kavadas and scored on a double by Cole Daily to cut the Hawks lead to 7-5.
Brendan Hueth added another run for the Hawks with a solo shot to right center in the eighth, giving Saint Joseph’s an 8-5 lead.
Notre Dame clawed its way back in the eighth, when Vierling, Kerschner and LaManna each singled to load the bases with no outs in the inning. Daniel Jung walked in a run and Kerschner scored on an RBI-single from Jared Miller, making the score 8-7. With one out, Daily hit a sacrifice fly that was dropped by the left fielder, allowing Daily to reach first and LaManna to tie the game at 8-8.
Tommy Vail walked the Hawks lead-off batter in the ninth and then Jack Sheehan allowed a single and hit a batter to load the bases. Saint Joseph’s walked in a run to take a 9-8 lead and followed that with a sacrifice fly to secure a 10-8 win.
Game Notes
- Notre Dame moves to 0-1 all-time against Saint Joseph’s.
- Notre Dame is 4-4 in neutral site matchups in 2018.
- Cameron Brown worked a career-best 3.2 innings with a career-high-tying two strikeouts in his first start with the Irish.
- Tommy Vail tossed 2.0 innings and collected a career-high six strikeouts.
- Nick Podkul has reached base safely in 20 straight games, dating back to 2017. The second baseman has hit .408 (31-76) with eight doubles, two triples, one home run and 19 RBI during that span.
- David LaManna has reached base safely in 13 of 14 career games.
- Matt James made his Irish debut, finishing 0-for-1 on the day.
Up Next
Notre Dame plays its final game of the Snowbird Classic against Saint Joseph’s at 10 a.m. ET on Wednesday at North Charlotte Regional Park. The game will be available on 103.1 FM (South Bend)/WatchND.
For a behind-the-scenes look at the Irish baseball program, follow @NDBaseball on Twitter and @NotreDameBaseball on Instagram. For tickets to an Irish baseball game, click here.
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Megan Golden, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since August of 2016. In her role, she coordinates all media efforts for the Notre Dame baseball and women’s soccer programs. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Golden is a 2014 graduate of Saint Mary’s College and former Irish women’s basketball manager. Prior to arriving at Notre Dame, she worked in public relations with the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox.