March 5, 2011
Manhattan Box Score | Manhattan Box Score in PDF Format 
Winthrop Box Score | Winthrop Box Score in PDF Format
ROCK HILL, S.C. – Notre Dame split its final two games from the 2011 Coca-Cola Classic on the campus of Winthrop University Saturday. Sophomore OF Charlie Markson’s two-out RBI single in the 10th inning helped the Irish rally past Manhattan, 5-4, in the day’s first game. Notre Dame was not able to earn the sweep and dropped the nightcap to the host Eagles, 7-2. The Irish are now 4-6 on the year.
With Manhattan and Notre Dame deadlocked, 4-4, freshman DH Trey Mancini stroked a one-out double to right centerfield in the 10th inning. After senior SS Mick Doyle struck out, Markson lined a 2-2 pitch from Scott McClennan back up the middle to give the Irish a 5-4 lead.
Junior RHP Will Hudgins retired the Jaspers 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 10th inning to pick up the victory. Hudgins improved to 1-0 on the season. He allowed one earned run on one hit in 2.1 innings of work. Hudgins struck out two and walked one. McClennan was charged with the loss and dropped to 0-1 on the year. He allowed one earned run on two hits in 1.0 inning.
Mancini recorded his second career game of at least three hits. He went 3-for-5 with a double, RBI and run scored. Jagielo and fifth-year senior Herman Petzold each had multi-hit games. Jagielo went 2-for-5 with a run scored and two RBI, while Petzold went 2-for-5 with a run scored.
Notre Dame and Manhattan remained scoreless until the bottom of the fifth inning when the Jaspers finally got to Irish starting RHP Todd Miller. The senior had limited Manhattan to a pair of singles over the first four innings, but Austin Sheffield ripped leadoff double, moved to third base on a wild pitch and trotted home on Kyle Murphy’s RBI single. After a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt, Miller got a fly out, but Yoandry Galan made it 2-0 with a two-out, RBI single. Miller allowed another base hit and uncorked another wild pitch to put runners on second and third, but induced a ground out to end the inning and keep the damage at two runs.
The Jaspers added to their lead in the bottom of the sixth inning. Chad Salem opened the frame with a double and eventually scored on Sheffield’s RBI sacrifice fly. Miller settled down following the third Manhattan run.
Trailing 3-0 heading into the top of the eighth inning, the Irish bats awoke from their weekend slumber. Sophomore 2B Frank DeSico drew a leadoff walk and Petzold followed with an opposite field single to put runners on first and second with one out.
Manhattan starter Mike Giordano then uncorked a wild pitch and Jagielo followed with a two-run single to cut the Jaspers lead to 3-2. The base hit ended the day for Giordano. Jacob Marchus relieved Giordano and was hurt by a critical Manhattan error that allowed sophomore C Joe Hudson to reach. Mancini followed with an RBI single to tie the score, 3-3, and Doyle (who was mired in a 4-for-34 slump) gave Notre Dame its first lead of the day, 4-3, with an RBI base hit.
Miller kept the lead in tact and retired the final six batters he faced before leaving the game with two outs in the eighth inning. Miller surrendered three earned runs on seven hits in 7.2 innings of work. He fanned six and did not issue a walk. Miller recorded the ninth straight quality start from an Irish pitcher this season, which equaled the most by a Notre Dame staff since 2001.
Hudgins replaced Miller and got Salem to ground out to end the Jaspers’ eighth inning. Salem entered the at-bat 7-for-8 against the Irish on the weekend.
Notre Dame stranded a key insurance run at third base with two outs in the top of the ninth inning, but was fortunate to even extend the game to extra innings.
Hudgins issued a leadoff walk to Mike McCann to open the bottom of the ninth inning. Sheffield followed with a sacrifice bunt, but Hudgins’ throw to second base in an attempt to gun down the lead runner pulled Doyle off the bag, which allowed Sheffield to reach base safely. With the tying run in scoring position and winning run at first with no outs, Murphy singled to make the score, 4-4, but Hudgins battled back. He punched out Mikey Miranda with the winning run in scoring position and Nick Camastro followed with a ground out to put runners on second and third with two down, but Hudgins got a soft line drive to DeSico to end the inning.
In the nightcap, Matteo D’Angelo (1-2) handcuffed Notre Dame over 7.0 innings of work en route to the victory. He limited the Irish to one earned run on five hits. D’Angelo struck out three and did not issue a free pass.
Jagielo provided the only Notre Dame run against the Eagles’ starter. The rookie smacked his first career home run in the top of the seventh inning to bring the Irish within three runs, 4-1. He led off the frame with a towering drive over the right centerfield wall. Senior Matt Scioscia followed with a pinch-hit single, but D’Angelo got a 5-4-3 double play ground out from Mancini. Doyle followed with a double, but Markson flew out to end the inning.
Winthrop pushed the lead to 6-1 on Patrick Gamblin’s two-run homer off Notre Dame freshman RHP Sean Fitzgerald, but the Irish had a golden chance to get back into the game in the top of the eighth inning.
Sophomore C Ricky Palmer ripped a pinch-hit double in his first career at-bat for Notre Dame. DeSico drew a four-pitch walk, Petzold was plunked to load the bases and Jagielo followed with a bases loaded walk to make the score, 6-2. Scioscia came to the plate as the tying run, bases loaded and one out, but Winthrop closer struck out Scioscia and got Mancini to ground out to end the threat.
The Eagles added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning to close the scoring.
Freshman LHP Anthony McIver was charged with the loss in his first career start and dropped to 0-1. He yielded a pair of earned runs (four overall) on seven hits in 5.0 innings. Fitzgerald allowed two earned runs on three hits in 1.2 innings and fellow freshman Dan Slania allowed his first run of the year. He was tagged with an earned run on two hits in 1.1 innings.
Doyle was the only Irish player with more than one hit. He went 2-for-4 with doubles in each of his last two at-bats.
Notre Dame returns to action next weekend at the Caravelle Resort Classic hosted by Coastal Carolina. The Irish will open the weekend with a doubleheader (Notre Dame’s fourth straight twin bill) at 11 a.m. on Sat., March 12 against UAB and Coastal Carolina. The Irish will close the weekend with a matchup against Kent State at 11 a.m. on Sun., March 13. All three games can be heard on WHME Harvest 103.1 FM and UND.com.
— ND —