NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame baseball team (14-21) defeated the Northwestern Wildcats (16-17) by a score of 6-2 at Frank Eck Stadium on the back of masterful pitching performances by Tommy Vail and Andrew Belcik.
Vail tossed a career high five innings and after allowing a solo home run in the first, retired the next 14 batters he faced. Andrew Belcik closed the door for the Irish, collecting his first save after three innings of work without allowing a hit. Jack Zyska also recorded a career-high four RBIs in the Irish’s victory.
How It Happened
After Irish starting pitcher Tommy Vail struck out Northwestern’s leadoff man, Jack Dunn, the Wildcats got on the scoreboard early in the first inning on the back of a solo home run from third baseman Alex Erro. Vail rebounded nicely, striking out the next two Northwestern batters to keep the Wildcats’ lead at just one.
Spencer Myers got Notre Dame’s offense started with a line drive single to left field in the bottom of the first, and he stole second base to give the Irish a man in scoring position with no outs. A fielding error from Northwestern pitcher Parker Hanks put runners on the corners for Notre Dame, and Zyska’s four-pitch walk loaded the bases for the Irish, giving them a golden opportunity to erase their deficit. First baseman Daniel Jung cashed in on the scoring chance, hitting into an RBI fielder’s choice to knot the score at 1-1.
Vail posted a clean frame in the top of the second inning, sitting down all three Northwestern batters in order. The Irish hurler also added to his strikeout total when he fanned Ben Dickey with an expertly-placed breaking ball.
Hanks looked poised to match Vail’s perfect inning after he put away the first two Irish batters in the bottom of the second, but Jake Singer ripped a single through a gap in the infield to keep Notre Dame’s inning alive. Singer proceeded to steal second to give the Irish another scoring opportunity, and Myers whacked another single to put two men on base for Notre Dame. An intentional walk to Niko Kavadas loaded the bases, and Zyska brought two men home with a sharp single to left, giving the Irish a 3-1 edge. However, Eric Gilgenbach’s deep shot to center field was gloved by David Dunn, and Notre Dame headed into the third inning up by a pair of runs.
Vail notched his fifth strikeout in the top of the third, and his second consecutive 1-2-3 inning allowed the Irish to maintain their two-run advantage.
Notre Dame designated hitter Carter Putz notched his first career triple in the bottom of the third inning with a rocket shot to right-center field. Shortstop Jared Miller laid down a squeeze bunt to give the Irish four runs on the evening, but Northwestern got out of the inning without incurring any further damage on the scoreboard.