March 24, 2017
By Michael Scholl
NOTRE DAME, Indiana — Notre Dame baseball team fell victim to the longball on a windy afternoon at Frank Eck Stadium, dropping an 8-2 decision to No. 13 Florida State.
Brandon Bielak turned in a solid effort, allowing four runs in seven innings with six strikeouts. He did not walk a batter. Daniel Jung had a pair of hits for the Irish, while Kyle Fiala had the lone RBI for the home nine.
Dylan Busby and Jackson Lueck each homered for the Seminoles in the fourth and eighth innings, respectively. Florida State’s Cole Sands scattered five hits over six innings, allowing just one earned run while striking out seven to earn the win.
Key Innings
Bottom Third
The Irish struck first in the third, although missed out on a big inning. Cole Daily walked to start the inning but was caught stealing. Ryan Lidge, Jake Shepski and Jake Johnson followed with consecutive singles to load the bases. After Podkul flew out to shallow left, Kyle Fiala singled through the left side, scoring Lidge, but Shepski was gunned down at the plate to end the frame.
Top Fourth
The Seminoles took advantage of a windy day to take the lead in the fourth. Quincy Nieporte led off with a double, followed by a Rhett Aplin single. Dylan Busby then drove one down the left field line that was pushed just inside the foul pole by the wind to make it 3-1.
Top Eighth
After plating a single run in the seventh, FSU broke it open in the eighth with Cameron Brown in on relief of Bielak. Nieporte doubled before Aplin reached on a throwing error while trying to bunt the runner over. After a ground out, Jackson Lueck drove a homer to right center, making it 7-1. <>
On Deck
The Irish and Seminoles play game two of a doubleheader on Friday evening at Frank Eck Stadium. The game can be seen live on ACC Network Extra, via WatchESPN, and heard live on WatchND and 103.1 FM in the South Bend area.
— ND —
Michael Scholl joined Fighting Irish Media in August 2016, coordinating communications for the baseball program and assisting with the football team at his alma mater. The South Bend native earned a degree in political science from the College of Arts & Letters in 2009 before going on to work in athletics communications at Providence College, Vanderbilt and Cincinnati.