SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The No. 23 Notre Dame baseball team took a 14-3 win in seven innings over visiting Western Michigan on Tuesday evening at Frank Eck Stadium.
The Broncos scored a run in the first at-bats of the game, and the Irish quickly responded in the bottom half of the inning. Drew Berkland led off with a single to center field, and Noah Coy laced a double down the right field line to plate Berkland from first. Mark Quatrani then drilled the first pitch of his at-bat 418 feet to deep left field to put the Irish ahead 3-1. Bino Watters went back-to-back with a solo shot to left-center field. Davis Johnson drew a walk and stole second before Dylan Passo hit a single to put runners on the corners. Mason Barth used a sacrifice fly to drive in Johnson as the Irish went up 5-1.
Kellan Klosterman retired the side in order in the top of the second. Drew Berkland walked to lead off the second, and Noah Coy advanced Berkland with a sacrifice bunt. Berkland stole third, and Bino Watters singled through the right side to give the Irish a 6-1 advantage.
The Broncos scored a run in the third inning to make it a 6-2 score. Dylan Singleton came in and got the Irish out of a jam by forcing Western Michigan into stranding bases loaded.
The Irish posted six runs in the bottom of the third. Mason Barth reached on an error and moved to second, and Jamie Zee hit a double off the top of the wall in left-center field to drive in Barth. Drew Berkland added a triple to plate Zee, and Noah Coy bounced a ground out to second, which allowed Berkland to score. Mark Quatrani drew a walk, and Bino Watters bounced a single through the right side. Jayce Lee hit a line-drive home run over the left field fence to put the Irish ahead 12-2.
After Western Michigan scored a run in the top of the fourth, the Irish came right back with offense in the bottom half of the inning. Jamie Zee led off with a single, and Drew Berkland drew a walk. A fly out allowed Zee to tag up to third, and Mark Quatrani drove in Zee with a single to left field as Berkland advanced to third. Bino Watters beat the shift with a single through the left side to drive in Berkland.
Neither side put up a run over the next two innings of play. Aiden Zerr induced a ground out for the first out of the seventh, and Garrett Snyder closed out the game with a foul pop up and a strikeout for the 14-3 win in seven innings.
Bino Watters went 4-for-4 with a home run, two runs scored and three RBI. Drew Berkland went 2-for-2 at the dish with a triple, two walks, a stolen base, an RBI and four runs. Mark Quatrani was 2-for-3 at the plate with a home run, three RBI and two runs. Jayce Lee had a home run, three RBI and a run. Noah Coy had a double, drove in two runs and scored once in the win. Dylan Passo added a 2-for-5 effort, and Jamie Zee went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and two runs. Mason Barth and Davis Johnson each scored once.
Kellan Klosterman had the start and went 2.1 on the mound with a pair of strikeouts. Dylan Singleton posted two strikeouts over 1.2 innings of work. Aiden Zerr went 2.1 with two strikeouts and no runs allowed while earning the win in relief. Garrett Snyder added 0.2 innings on the night with a strikeout.
The Irish continue their homestand with an ACC series this weekend at Frank Eck Stadium when they host North Carolina for a three-game stint starting on Friday, March 27 at 4:30 p.m. ET.